Tales of a Pokemon School Dropout
by BloodWingdAngel
Summary: After being forced to go to a Pokemon School in Alola due to his overconfident attitude, Wes attempts to prove those that doubt he can succeed by sneaking his way into the Island Trial Challenge. Can he complete all of them, or will he fail and have to stay at this school until he graduates? Rated T for language.
1. Arrival to Alola

**Hmm, this is my... *tries to count how many times I've attempted to write a Pokemon Story*... forget it, I've tried to write a Pokemon Story too many times. They're kinda hard to write, in my personal opinion. This one is I think my best attempt yet, and is also my first attempt at writing a cocky main character. Tell me what you guys think! Just note that even though the main character is named Wes, it has no relation to the Pokemon Colosseum main character of the same name. I actually named my player character Wes back in 2000 with Pokemon Silver, believe it or not.**

 **Also, big thanks to The King of Emerald for allowing me to use his character, Jason, in this story, as well as being my Beta Reader for this story!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Why did I have to come here again?"

This was the number one question on young Wes's mind since he stepped off the plane from his hometown of Hoenn onto the sandy shore of Alola. He had changed on the plane into more appropriate attire, since Alola was usually always around 25 degrees Celsius (that's 77 Fahrenheit), and was now wearing a short sleeved red t-shirt with black capris, with red shoes, a black backpack on, and black rimmed glasses over his red eyes. His whitish silver hair was down to his shoulders, his bangs swept slightly to the side to stay out of his eyes.

"Well…" The dark brown eyed women sitting on the other end of the video call thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully, playing with her brown hair, which hung down draping across her apron. "I thought it might be a good idea for you to begin attending Pokemon School, and Alola is the best place to go for that!"

"But what's the point when I got Nayru by my side?" Wes huffed, crossing his arms.

"Nayru isn't invincible," his mother warned, looking at her son with a stern look. "Ever since you rescued her five years ago you've been pretty cocky when it comes to pokemon battles, young man. I think it is best you forget about the Gym Challenge for a while and focus on refining what you know about Pokemon. You've neglected the basics over these last few years in favor of battling. And before you say anything, young man, the basics are important." Wes closed his mouth from having opened it to counter-argue, sighing. "Now, be sure to go straight to the school. No slacking! The Professor wanted to meet you right away and get you set up."

"Yeah, yeah." Wes sighed. "Once Nayru is done with her checkup, I'll go…"

"I love you," his mother said, a smile on her face. "Have fun!"

"I'll try… love you too," Wes muttered, hanging up. He slouched in the chair, sighing a little in irritation. He didn't see what the big deal was. So what if he was confident in his battling? Nayru was very powerful, and Wes felt like she was almost unstoppable in his battles with her.

"Wes?" a nurse called. Wes looked over his shoulder to see the nurse holding a Friend Ball in her hand, a smile on her face. "Your ralts' checkup is complete! I must say, seeing a ralts in Alola is very uncommon. I've never had the pleasure of checking one until now, let alone one like yours."

"Thanks a lot." Wes grinned, taking the Friend Ball from her and releasing the Pokemon that was inside. Out popped a light blue, alternate colored ralts, with an orange horn on her head.

"I hate it in there…" the ralts muttered, making a few trainers look over in shock that a Pokemon just spoke.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Wes asked, picking her up and placing her on his shoulder. "Thanks, Nurse Joy! But we got places to be! See you!" And without waiting for a reply, Wes dashed out of the Pokemon Center of Hau'oli City, dashing towards Route 1, where the Professor lived.

"You sure seem in a hurry for someone who didn't want to come here," Nayru pointed out, looking over at her trainers face as she held tightly into his head.

"The quicker we get this over with, the better," Wes replied, keeping his eyes on the path. "Besides, if we catch some pokemon here, graduate from his academy with flying colors, and prove to Mom that it was a waste of time coming here, we might get to go back home quicker and partake in the Hoenn League!"

"Joy," Nayru muttered, twirling a finger in excitement. "Back home, where all the other Ralts hated me because I'm… this!"

Was slowed down to a walk, panting a little and looking over at Nayru, a bit of a frown on his face. "Those other Ralts were jerks… you didn't deserve getting teased just because you are a different color. Besides, back home you can prove them wrong, remember?"

"True, I guess," Nayru muttered. Wes continued walking for some time before finally, after following the directions on his phone for a while, Nayru spoke up. "Hey, is that it?"

Wes looked over, sweat dropping the second he saw where Nayru was pointing. "This old wooden shack? I doubt it… Maybe I entered the wrong location…"

"Alright, Rockruff, let's go! Give it everything you've got!" Shouting was heard from inside, as Wes and Nayru sweat dropped more and more with each passing second. "My body is ready!" The sound of a rockruff barking, then a slam indicating someone being talked to the ground was heard next. Wes just started in shock for a few minutes, as more sounds of tackling and slamming were heard. Finally, the door flew open, and a bruised Professor Kukui walked out, with what looked like a very pleased Rockruff. "Ah, that's the stuff!" Kukui bellowed, grinning. "Pokemon Moves are best studied when you take them for yourself!"

"If you say so, Professor," Wes muttered, looking at him.

Kukui blinked and looked up, and upon seeing Wes grinned even wider. "Wes! How was your flight? Experiencing any jet lag?"

Wes shrugged. "A little, but I slept most of the plane ride, so I should be fine."

"It's still day here in Alola," Kukui commented, still smiling. "But it's nighttime in Hoenn, so I don't blame you for any jet lag you might have. Lucky for you, your mom sent you out here a week early to get used to the time change."

Wes frowned. "That's the part that sucks, Prof. I was hoping we could get started right away so I can show you that I don't need this school."

This is when Kukui finally frowned, placing his hand on Wes's shoulder. "Come on, cousin, don't be like that. Every trainer is always learning, and even if you know everything I am going to teach you here, a bit of review never helps." He smiled again, pumping his fist. "Yeah! Focus Energy and hit the books, cause the learning never stops!"

Wes blinked, before he and Nayru both turned slowly to face him. "Was… was that a pokemon move pun?"

"No time to rest, I say!" Kukui shouted, clearly way too excited. "I think we should head on over to the school and show you around, what do you say?"

"Sure, I guess," Wes agreed. "I mean, might as well since I'm stuck here."

"Great!" Kukui grinned excitedly. "Then let's Extreme Speed our way over!"

"These move puns don't stop, do they?" Nayru whispered to Wes.

"God, I hope they do…"

XxXxXxX

"And this is your dorm room," Kukui finished explaining, opening a door inside of the school's off campus building. Wes looked inside to see a very basic room set up, complete with hard wood floor, a bed with basic red sheets, a wooden desk with a chair, and a dresser with a few boxes on top of it, which Wes assumed were the stuff his mom sent down.

"Very… basic, don't you think?" Wes asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Cousin, all you need here are the basics," Kukui explained. "Most of your time will be spent in other parts of the school, partaking in class exercises and battles, along with field work. If you are one of the lucky ones, you'll even get picked to go on a ton of field trips. Your room will basically be your place to sleep and study, so a bed, desk and dresser is all you're going to need."

"Alright." Wes sighed, setting his backpack down on the bed.

"Oh, one second," Kukui suddenly said, seeming to notice someone. "Hey, Jason, come here will ya?"

A boy, only an inch or two taller than the newcomer, walked in, his brown hair combed back with some of his bangs hanging in front of his left eye. He wore a black tank top and a white pair of shorts, and a pair of black and white sneakers on his feet. He wore a bored expression as he stepped in, clearly annoyed by the professor. Wes assumed this boy was another student, as he seemed the same age as Wes.

"This is Jason," Kukui explained, grinning as he placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. "He defeated the Kalos League and is my Student Teacher for this year. He's also here to oversee construction of a secret surprise as well."

"It's not really a secret, Prof, since a few of the students caught you talking about it loudly with Oak." Jason sighed, a tone of lazy attitude in his voice.

"This guy… is a Champion?" Wes asked, staring is disbelief. "But he looks my age!?"

"I happened to start earlier then you, that's all," Jason rebuked. "Can I go now?"

"Right, I guarantee you this whole thing is to pull my leg," Wes grinned. "I see though this, and to prove it I'll beat you in a battle, right here and now."

"Whoa, there," Kukui said, looking slightly panicked. "First of all, battles can only be held outside. Second of all, I'm not pulling your leg here. This guy is the real deal Champion, you can even look it up yourself if you don't believe me."

Jason was staring at Wes with a mixture of interest and annoyance. "I think someone is a little too cocky for their own good. Listen here, newbie, cockiness is going to get you in trouble here. There are several students that have been here longer than you, and could probably easily clean your clock."

Wes smirked a bold smile. "Is that so? I bet you if you placed the top student in front of me, I would beat him in seconds."

"Can we not start drawing attention to ourselves on the first day?" Nayru whispered into Wes's ear.

"Hey, it's true," Wes replied.

Jason stared at Wes for a few seconds before something in the hall caught his attention. He looked over at Wes with a slightly mischievous smirk on his face. "Is that right? Just so happens, SHE is coming out of her dorm room right now. Hey, Rose! Can you come here please?"

"What is it, Professor?" A girl's voice asked, as she came into view in the doorway. Wes could see a girl with short shoulder length red hair standing there, with emerald green eyes. She was wearing a purple-ish blue no-sleeved top with a black skirt, black socks and white shoes, carrying with her a white handbag.

Jason sighed. "I told you to stop calling me that… Anyway, I want you to battle with the new kid."

"Right away, Professor," Rose replied, a serious look on her face. Jason looked as though he was holding back from scolding her for calling him Professor again.

"Wait… she's the top student!?" Wes gasped in disbelief. "She hardly looks like a trainer!"

"And according to you, I hardly look like a Champion, but looks can be deceiving," Jason said, looking at Wes again with that same smirk. "Just follow me."

Rose glared at Wes a bit before she turned on her heel and followed Jason. Kukui sighed, muttering to himself. "Oh boy, looks like you're already in a Bind."

"Again with the move puns?" Wes sighed, before following after Jason himself, with Kukui bringing up the rear. They walked for a good five minutes down the hallway, down a few flights of stairs, and out the doorway before heading into one of the two outside battle arenas, with Rose taking one side and Wes taking another.

"Alright, this will be a quick one on one battle." Jason announced. "Any objections?"

"I'm fine with a one on one." Rose spoke, sizing Wes up. "From the looks of it, he only has that ralts, anyway."

Wes hissed a little in frustration. "Nayru is all I need! Let's do this, partner!"

"Right!" Nayru nodded, jumping down from Wes's shoulder and facing Rose.

"Against your ralts…" Rose thought for a minute before pulling out a Great Ball. "I choose Bagon!" Out of the ball popped a blue reptilian looking Pokemon with a large, round snout and triangle eyes.

"A Dragon type?" Wes asked, grinning a little. "If you're the top student, you should know that Dragon moves have no effect on Fairy types, and that Fairy moves do double damage against Dragon's cause they are super effective!"

"At least you know some basics, I'll give you that." Rose smirked back, brushing the hair from her face, looking at Wes seriously. "However, the type of the Pokemon isn't everything…"

"Alright, begin!" Jason shouted.

"I'll end this quickly so I can unpack sooner!" Wes shouted. "Nayru, use Disarming Voice!"

"Right." Nayru nodded, before inhaling and letting out a vocal shout. Bagon covered its ears in pain, shivering as it got damaged.

"That should be enough to guarantee me a knock out." Wes smirked, confidence radiating off him. However, to his surprise, Bagon stood up, ready for battle. "But how? That move was a Fairy type attack!"

Rose was smiling, looking down at her Bagon. "Your ralts is decently trained, but it seems she just lacks the fire power needed to defeat my Bagon. By my calculations, you've chipped away about 1/3 of Bagon's health, which will allow my Bagon to survive an additional round of your attack… Bagon, use Ember!"

Bagon nodded, breathing in, and spitting out some flames which surrounded Nayru. She hissed in pain, but shook off the damage.

"I'm still going to win!" Wes shouted. "Nayru, use Disarming Voice once more!" Nayru once again let out a vocal shout, and this time Bagon took a little longer to stand firmly on its feet.

"I think it is about time I wrap this up." Rose stated. "Bagon, use Shadow Claw!"

"Use what!?" Wes shouted in disbelief. Bagon's claw began glowing a sinister purple as it rushed forward, closing the gap between them in seconds, before bringing the claw down onto Nayru, who got sent flying back and hit the ground, unmoving.

"Nayru!" Wes shouted, running forward.

"Nayru is unable to battle." Jason announced. "Bagon and Rose are the winners!"

"Hey, buddy, you ok?" Wes asked.

"I got Shadow Clawed to the face." Nayru hissed in pain. "I'm peachy."

"How did Bagon know Shadow Claw anyway?" Wes asked.

"Simple." Rose stated. "The school has TMs that the students can use for free. I actually recommend you browse through them sometime, there are tons of moves there you might wanna teach that ralts of yours." Rose turned away, but turned her head a bit to look over her shoulder at Wes. "From the moment I saw you, I knew that ralts only knew standard moves and wasn't trained properly… It was only natural that I could defeat you with my calculations."

Wes stood up, glaring at her in anger while holding Nayru. "Books can't teach you everything! Battles aren't just about books, calculations and what moves to use! They're about passion and the heat of the battle! You'll get nowhere with just simple math!"

"You also won't get anywhere with simple blind tactics." Rose replied. "You say I'll get nowhere with calculations, but I beat you didn't I?" She then walked away, leaving Wes to simmer.

XxXxXxX

"I'm sorry you lost, but maybe now you see what I am talking about?"

Wes had his laptop open on his desk, staring at his monitor with a mixture of sadness and anger. His mom was on the other end of the program he was using to call her, looking at him with a stern, parental look mixed with some sympathy. His mom sighed, petting her skitty that was sitting in her lap. "I knew you were going to fight me on sending you there, but I wouldn't have if I didn't think you would benefit from it… how is Nayru doing?"

"She's resting in her pokéball." Wes gestured over to the Friend Ball on his nightstand. "I healed her using the school's healing machine, but she's pretty burnt up about this as well. I don't get it, we were unbeatable beforehand."

"Is that right?" His mom asked. "When you were just facing against other novice trainers and wild zigzagoon?" Wes didn't reply, so she continued. "You had no idea what you were getting into when you wanted to challenge the Pokemon League, and I had the feeling there was only one way to help you get a taste of that experience."

"I get the feeling this is a harsh way to teach me," Wes grumbled. "That Jason guy… he just put me against the top student because…"

"Because you were talking a big game?" His mom asked. "I know you better than you know yourself, Wes, and you definitely have grown an ego recently. If it took you facing the top student to deflate that ego a little bit, then that's what it took. Want to get better? Study, learn, train, and eventually you will surpass her. I guarantee it."

"Yeah…" Wes nodded. "Alright, I'm heading for bed… have a good day there, mom."

"Sleep well, sweetie." His mom said sadly before Wes turned off the program and closed the laptop, before walking over to the bed and lying down in it, looking up at the ceiling. He was unaware that at that moment, his mom was entering another call at that moment.

"Rough first day, huh?" She asked Professor Kukui. "I heard everything from Wes."

"Yeah, Jason can be a little harsh." Kukui grinned sheepishly. "But I won't argue that his Nasty Plot can get results."

"Well, you have to admit failure and losing are often better teachers then winning and getting results," Wes' mom admitted. "His father would always say that his best teachers were his defeats, and when Wes was beginning to get a big ego in his Pokémon Battling, he was the one to suggest Wes experience a loss. I simply thought sending him to a Pokemon School might help him understand more about battling and level his head… Guess we both got what we wanted in the end."

"Indeed." Kukui nodded. "But don't worry, we will take good care of him here."

"Thank you, Professor."

* * *

 **Edit: After receiving a review from St Elmo's Fire, my Beta Reader and I went back and implemented a lot of the changes in his review. I would like to personally thank him for bringing these grammatical mistakes up, especially the specific ones involving how Pokemon stories usually are written. For years, I usually wrote using improper grammar, and I just never really paid attention to it until St. Elmo's Fire pointed it out, and I realized suddenly that everyone else seems to write the way he explained dialogue is written. Just for reference though, I will be keeping moves capitalized to distinguish them from everything else (and to emphasis Kukui's puns).**


	2. The Island Challenge

**I would like to thank The King of Emerald who is my Beta Reader once again, and also thanks to the two reviewers of Chapter 1:** **Umbruhon and St Elmo's Fire, especially St Elmo's Fire who gave a ton of suggestive criticism and tips on how to improve the grammar of this story. Big thanks to you, and we took a lot of this to heart and implemented it not only into this chapter, but went back to the first chapter and edited it carefully, implementing these changes.** **While other authors may get mad about suggestive criticism, I personally welcome it, and it shows signs that I need to still improve and helps me work harder to write good stories and chapters.**

 **By the way, moves and attacks are still going to be capitalized to distinguish them from the rest of the dialogue, as well as to make Kukui's puns stand out more. If this bothers too many people, I will change it later, though.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and feel free as always to leave a review if you like the story or want to offer some advice on how to improve the story farther. Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Wes stepped off the plane from Hoenn, and two weeks since Rose defeated him in a pokemon battle. During that time, Wes actually had begun taking the advice given to him from his mother, and began buckling down and attempting to remember the basics, along with some side training with Nayru in an attempt to grow stronger. Unfortunately for him, it didn't seem to change much, as proven by that Thursday's class exercise, which involved working together with your pokemon to get through an obstacle course.

Although Wes wasn't last to get through the course, he still was one of the stragglers, and was currently lying in the dirt with Nayru, panting as sweat dripped from his body. "Remind me what this has to do with pokemon battles?"

"If the trainer and pokemon aren't in sync, they won't win," Kukui replied, his signature grin etched on his face. "You need to Synchronize and get in tune with your pokemon, working together as a team."

"More move puns?" Wes asked, groaning a little, as Kukui walked over to where Rose was stretching with her bagon, who was imitating her.

"H-hey, Wes?" A nervous voice stuttered. Wes turned his head to see a ebony skinned girl standing there, his brown eyes nervously darting around to avoid looking directly at Wes. Her long, blue hair showed signs of sweat, as did her green tank top and white skirt, her blue shoes covered in dirt from the course. "I-I brought you a towel and some w-water."

"Oh, thanks Chloe," Wes grinned, sitting up and taking both items from her, proceeding to wipe the sweat off his forehead, before opening the water bottle and draining half of it in one gulp. "How did you do on the course?"

"O-oh, not as good as you!" Chloe nervously said louder than possibly intended. "I-I'm not too good at physical activity."

"You'll get it with time," Wes smirked. "I really only straggled behind because I haven't ran that hard since I was little."

"R-really?" Chloe mumbled, looking away once again. Unknown to Wes and Chloe, Rose was watching them over her shoulder, specifically at Wes, her expression one of interest and wonder.

"Alright, let's get ready to go back into the classroom," Jason's voice rang out. "We got an announcement to make."

"Welp, looks like that's our cue," Wes said, getting up and holding his hand out to Chloe. "Need help."

"Oh," Chloe stuttered, blushing heavily. "I'm good thanks!"

"Oh, okay," Wes shrugged, heading off, leaving Chloe to mentally curse herself inside of her head. Ten minutes later, everyone was back in the classroom, with many students fanning themselves off after running for so long. Some of their pokemon were still out, sitting either on their desks or on the floor depending on the pokemon in question.

"Now some of you might recall me saying on Monday when school started that there would be a surprise for you guys," Kukui explained, grinning. "Well it is finally time to announce it. This year, a few lucky students per class will be participating in the Island Challenge!"

Amidst the murmurs of excitement, Wes cocked his head. "What is that?"

"Ah, right, you wouldn't know because you aren't from Alola," Kukui smirked. "Well, for Wes and those that need a reminder, the Island Challenge is a rite of passage for brand new Pokemon Trainers here in the Alola region, which involves traveling through each of the four major islands here: Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula and Poni! On each island you will complete various trials, held by a Trial Captain, however these trails aren't just limited to battles, often times you need to find items or identify patterns, while with others you need to complete certain tasks or get tested on your knowledge. All trials end, however, with a battle involving a totem pokemon, a special pokemon trained specifically to be stronger, larger and more powerful than average pokemon. You will receive this to prove you're participating," Kukui then held up a amulet with four beads on a brown leather band, one red, one yellow, one purple and one pink, with a silver twist connection lock at the top to disconnect the string and hook it onto a bag. The amulet itself was golden in color and contained four obtuse triangles also with the colors of red, yellow, purple and pink, with two tuffs of leather on each side.

Wes' excitement could no longer be contained. "That sounds amazing! Where do I sign up?"

"Not so fast, Wes," Kukui shook his head. "Like I said, only a few lucky students are going to participate in the Island Challenges, each one having already proved themselves beforehand. For this class, Jason here has personally picked out who is participating in the Island Challenge."

"Why didn't you choose, Professor?" Chloe asked, tilting her head in confusion, petting a bulbasaur which was sitting on her desk, cooing happily with each pet.

"I have my reasons for letting only my aid pick," Kukui stated. "Now, those chosen will have until tomorrow morning to get ready, because they will undergo the first Trial Challenge tomorrow at Verdant Cavern with Trial Captain Ilima, who will meet you there around noon. The other classes are going at a later point. If you are chosen, you are responsible for getting there yourself, but maps are easily available to those chosen, and it is not that far of a walk towards the cavern. Now, if you would Jason?"

Jason remined silent for a moment before clearing this throat. "Rose. That's it. She's the only one capable of it."

"W-what!?" Wes gasped, flabbergasted. "Y-you can't be serious! You aren't going to even think about choosing me?" At this outburst, a bunch of the students began chuckling, while Chloe looked sadly at Wes, and Rose looked at him with some annoyance.

Jason looked at Wes. "How could I forget you, Wes," But before Wes could even realize what he said, Jason continued. "Thank you… for reminding me how right I am in my choice to only pick Rose and no one else."

Many of the students grumbled in frustration upon realizing Jason was serious, forgetting Wes' outburst, but Kukui quickly calmed the class down. "Well, Jason has spoken, but just because Rose is being picked now doesn't mean you won't get a shot. In fact, in two months' time, we will pick more students to go on the challenge. Until then, study hard and prove yourself worthy of this! Class dismissed!"

"This is insane!" Wes roared, having zipped over to where Jason was so fast, it was almost as though he teleported. "You won't even give anyone else a chance other than your precious top student!"

Jason glared at Wes. "First of all, you need at least two pokemon on you to partake in the challenge, and since you only have your ralts, you instantly disqualify yourself. Second of all, you have done nothing to prove yourself worthy of the trials in this school so far, while Rose has been top of the class since the beginning. If you want to prove to me you are worthy of partaking in the Island Challenge, improve yourself and impress me, and I'll choose you in two months. Good day."

"But…" Wes began.

"I said good day," Jason snapped, walking away. Rose followed after him, shooting Wes an analyzing glance before stepping out of the room.

"Ugh, that guy," Wes growled. "Who does he think he is? I bet this whole 'he is the champion' thing is just a fib."

"Well, maybe this is better?" Nayru suggested. "I mean, we don't even know much about the Alola Region, so facing these trials might be difficult."

"But how can I prove myself if they don't even give me a chance?" Wes asked, leaving the classroom and walking slowly down the hall. "If they just let me attempt the first trial, I bet they would regret thinking that I am just some punk kid."

"To be fair, they aren't entirely wrong, master," Nayru teased, earning herself a glare from Wes.

"So only Rose was chosen in your class?" A voice asked from an open doorway in the hall. Wes halted, before getting low and sneaking over to the door to listen better.

"Yes, seems like Jason is dead set on it too," Kukui replied, sighing a little. "I can't say I totally agree with it, though."

"Who is that?" Wes whispered, looking inside, making sure it wasn't obvious he was there. A tan version of Professor Samual Oak seemed to be standing there, with a lime green shirt with orange and white markings on, wearing a pair of white shorts and sandals. Wes pulled himself out of his thoughts, but had already missed some of the conversation by then.

"Well, I'll talk to him tomorrow," Kukui replied, putting down an amulet that he had shown in class. "Rose and the other students from the different classes got theirs already as well, so only thing left to do is file the paperwork and send off the students one by one. I must say, this year is going to be interesting, Samson, with our assistants and our newest student."

At this, Wes noticed Kukui beginning to stand up, and quickly began scooting back away from the door. Lucky for him, when Samson and Kukui left the room, they began heading down the hall in the opposite direction from where he was. The door to Kukui's office shut and Wes waited until they had turned the corner before looking at the door with somewhat of a grin. "Hey, Nayru, I got a way to prove I'm good enough to face the trials."

"Oh, no, you are not thinking of doing what I think you are thinking of doing, are you?" Nayru asked, then suddenly she blinked and muttered "what did I just say?", as Wes turned the handle to Kukui's office, realized it automatically locked itself. Wes wasted no time, getting on his knees, pulling out a paper clip and bending it into shape before sticking it into the lock.

"I'll just take one of the amulets, and pose as some kid who just wants to take the trial," Wes explained, picking the lock slowly.

"Yeah, and then you'll get expelled, and what will your mom say then?" Nayru hissed, glaring at him. "I doubt Rose will just be fine with us being there to take the trial even though we weren't chosen, huh?"

"I'll tell her I was picked at random. Besides, they won't expel me, probably just give me a detention or something. If they do expel me, maybe we'd get to go home and can do an actual Pokemon League Challenge instead of this 'Island Challenge'," Wes sighed, the lock clicking as the door creaked open a bit. "Yeah, it sounds awesome and all, but I think battles are more my specialty instead of these trial things. I just hope they aren't like that dumb obstacle course," Wes creeped into the room, looking around the office before spotting a box of 9 amulets along with the one amulet on Kukui's desk. Wes, thinking it was better to take one of the boxed amulets, nabbed one and slipped it into his pocket, carefully approaching the doorway and looking outside to make sure the coast was clear, before pressing the lock on the door and stepping out of the office, closing the door behind him, which clicked to indicate it was relocked. "I'm glad they don't have security camera's here."

"Yeah, so am I," Nayru sighed. "I may not like where this is going, but I have to say it's at least gonna be interesting to see what happens. Wait, what about the whole 'needing two pokemon' thing?"

Wes paused, thinking for a minute before he spoke. "Yeah, good point, let's capture one tomorrow morning so we can qualify and make it not look too suspicious."

"Sure hope whatever we catch is at least somewhat decent at battle," Nayru muttered, as they headed down the hallway, with Wes whistling. "These totem pokemon sound like they're no joke."

XxXxXxX

The alarm woke Wes up that morning around 6 am, which was unusual for him since he normally woke up for class around 7 am, however Wes had no intention of going to class that day. He made sure everything he needed was packed in his backpack, including healing items, extra pokeballs, which contained a mixture of different types, as well as snacks and water bottles. After confirming everything was packed, Wes placed the bag on his back and turned to Nayru, who was looking at him sleepily.

"If you want to catch some extra sleep, you can go into your ball," Wes stated.

"No thanks," Nayru groaned. "I may dislike how early we are getting up for this, but there is no way I am going into that devil contraption."

Wes sighed, picking up Nayru and placing her on his shoulder. "If you say so. Come on, we need to get out of here before the nerds start getting up."

Carefully, Wes opened his door and closed it with care, making sure that he made no extra noise that could wake up anyone, before creeping down that hallway and onto the staircase, taking the stairs carefully one at a time, before walking out the front door. Unlike most times where Wes would just follow the main path, Wes dipped behind the building, hanging close to the wall so anyone happening to look outside their dorm windows wouldn't spot him.

"Sense anyone?" Wes whispered to Nayru.

"No one, I think we are in the clear," Nayru stated.

"Ok," Wes sighed, heading out into the heart of Hau'oli City, trying to look as normal as possible to the people who were up at this hour. "We'll make our way onto Route 2 and do some training, hopefully capture a wild pokemon or two, then make our way to the cave before Rose."

"I can still see several ways this plan will go wrong," Nayru pointed out.

We'll be fine," Wes grinned, stepping out of the city and onto Route 2. "Alright, this should be Route 2. The cave isn't that far up the road, but in order to avoid conflict, we should go past that to attempt our training, after that we'll backtrack. I should have enough items to heal any injuries you or wild pokemon we catch have, but just in case we might backtrack early and go to the Pokemon Center in the city."

"Sounds like a plan," Nayru said, looking around before she spotted something. "Hey, what's that?"

Wes looked over at where Nayru was pointing to see a tiny yellow creature attempting to fly with wings very large for its body, white in color with brown circles on it. It had four tiny black legs with round feet, and big black eyes with a long, brown nose, and two tufts on its head resembling antennae.

"It's a pokemon!" Wes exclaimed, walking over to the tiny bee pokemon, who was still struggling to fly, looking dizzy. He pulled out a black device with red makings, rectangle in shape. Upon pressing the button, an image of the pokemon appeared on the device, with information.

"Cutiefly," Wes read from the PokeDex. "Average height four inches. Strange, this one looks a little bigger, maybe by an inch or so. Average weight .4 pounds, bug and fairy type. Seems like this one has the Shield Dust ability, which stopped added effects of moves."

"That doesn't seem to stop moves that only cause effects," Nayru pointed out. "Seems like she's confused."

"She?" Wes asked, looking back at his PokeDex. "Oh, this one is a girl. Well, we can't just leave her if she's inflicted with the confusion stat." Wes continued scrolling through the PokeDex, eventually finding the description of Cutiefly. "Cutiefly feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Because they are able to sense auras, they can identify which flowers are about to bloom."

"With her being confused like this, I doubt she can see auras properly," Nayru muttered. "If I had to guess, I think a trainer came through here, battled her and inflicted her with confusion not too long ago."

"The confusion will wear off in time, but she's too injured to fly," Wes muttered, picking Cutiefly up, who seemed too dazed to notice. "Here, let's take her over to those flowers and let her drink some nectar, maybe that'll help heal her up and maybe snap her out of the confusion."

"I thought we were supposed to be training," Nayru stated, following Wes as he carried Cutiefly over to a bunch of blooming yellow flowers.

"Yeah, but I can't ignore a pokemon in need," Wes admitted, kneeling down and placing Cutiefly on top of the flowers. "I couldn't ignore you either, remember?"

"T-true," Nayru admitted, sighing. Cutiefly seemed to finally realize she was standing on some flowers, and inserted her long nose into the flower itself, beginning to drink.

"There you go," Wes said happily, watching her. "I bet that's loads better now." Cutiefly finished drinking, and after looking around for a moment, flew up into the air and circled around Wes' head, happily doing loops and spins in the air, before handing on Wes' knee and jumping happily. "Hey, there you go! I bet that's a lot better, isn't it?"

"She seems grateful," Nayru said with a smile. "In fact, I think she's grown onto you, master."

Wes gentle petted Cutiefly, before gently lowering her back to the ground and standing up. "Alright, Nayru, let's get busy training." As they headed off, however, Cutiefly zipped after Wes, landing on his shoulder. "Hmm?"

"Hey, I think she wants to come with us," Nayru thought, tilting her head.

"Cutiefly, do you want to join us on our journey?" Wes asked. Cutiefly nodded in excitement, jumping a little.

"Alright, let's see…" Wes got on one knee, digging through his backpack before pulling out a Poke Ball with a yellowish orange top, a big black spot just above that, and a red V shape on the front. "I think this Level Ball suits you perfectly. All right, Level Ball, go!" Wes gently threw the ball, which bounced off Cutiefly, absorbing her into the ball. It only shook once before it clicked, indicating a successful capture. "Alright, Nayru, we got a Cutiefly!"

"Reminds me of how you caught me," Nayru giggled. "You asked if I wanted to be your pokemon after you saved me from those jerk ralts bullying me, I said yes, and one Friend Ball later I was your first pokemon."

"I gave you the name Nayru after that too," Wes smirked, then suddenly remembered. "Oh, right!" Wes threw his Level Ball, and out popped Cutiefly, who hovered in the air looking at her new trainer with interest. "Let's see. I think a good nickname for you will be Faye, how does that sound?"

Cutiefly nodded in happiness, landing on Wes' shoulder once again.

"Alright, Nayru, Faye, let's get training! We got an Island Trial to prepare for!"


	3. The First Trial

**Thanks to Umbruhon for reviewing Chapter 2, and as usual, thanks to The King of Emerald for beta reading this chapter!**

 **So quick side note, don't get used to these frequent updates. I've just been on a role lately with writing the chapter, but that is sadly going to come to a halt soon. If you guys don't know, I am a senior in college, and I got three major projects coming up for my school (which of course I don't graduate if I don't succeed in getting them done). If I disappear for awhile, that is why, but hopefully I will not be gone too long while I work on them.**

 **Regardless of that, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

A faint melody began playing on the alarm clock sitting by Rose's bedside. The red head groaned and sat up, her blue sheets falling off her white pajamas as she reached over and tapped the alarm clock once, silencing the melody that was playing. Rose yawned loudly, stretching before swinging her legs out from under her sheets, letting them touch the floor, and standing up fully, continuing her stretches.

"Well, time to get ready," Rose thought aloud, grabbing her trainer clothes off her dresser and walking over to the second door in her room and opening it, revealing a bathroom. She stepped inside, making sure a towel was hanging on the hook before closing the door.

After taking her shower, Rose emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and ready to go. She grabbed her bag from the dresser as well and took a quick moment to check the clock, which read 7:25 am, which was good because she had 5 minutes before her scheduled meeting with Professor Kukui and Jason, who wanted to see her off before she headed out. Rose left her room, making sure to lock the door behind her before heading downstairs and out the door, heading out towards the main campus building, where she could see Jason and Kukui standing there, both beaming at her with pride (or, at least, Kukui was beaming).

"Thanks for seeing me off, you guys," Rose greeted them, bowing in respect. "I appreciate it."

"Of course." Jason nodded, giving a small smile rarely seen from him.

"Before you go, I would like to give you a gift," Kukui noted, holding out a red object that was somewhat rectangle in shape, with a rectangle screen and what looked like two ovals extending from the screen, also part of the screen. Rose looked confused, reaching out to grab the object, but before she could the object suddenly began levitating, causing her to recoil back in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked at the floating device. Suddenly, before her very eyes, the screen lit up and the two oval screens sprung to life, displaying two blue eyes with white outlines, while the normal screen displayed a mouth. Two arms grew from the device, with one waving at her.

"Hello," the device greeted her. "I am the Rotom PokeDex, and I have been assigned to be your guide during your Island Challenge! Pleased to meet you, zzt!"

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too," Rose hesitantly said, smiling a sheepish smile.

"This type of PokeDex is rare, even in Alola," Kukui explained. "With Rotom inside, the PokeDex is even more advanced then before, and has a lot more functionality then a standard PokeDex! By lending you a Helping Hand, you will be able to clear the trials in no time at all!"

"Thanks, Professor, but I am unsure about all this," Rose admitted, watching Rotom levitate next to her. "Is Rotom really ok being stuck inside a PokeDex?"

"I actually really like it in here," Rotom admitted, giving her a smile. "Sure, I am stripped of all my combative capabilities while occupying the PokeDex, but I've always found myself as more of a compassionate pokemon instead of a battler, zzt. When I was caught by Professor Kukui, he asked if I wanted to be part of a experiment to create the most advanced PokeDex ever, and I accepted without even a second thought."

"If you are willing to help me, then how can I say no?" Rose smiled.

"Registering Rose as my primary user," Rotom stated, suddenly displaying a picture of Rose and some information about her before returning to a mouth. "Rose's user registration complete, zzt!"

"And with that, I believe you're all set!" Kukui cheerfully said. "Rotom can even display a map of the Alola region just in case you get lost, and even can keep track of where you need to go next on the map so you can route the quickest location."

"Thanks, Professor, I appreciate this a lot," Rose smiled.

"If anything, you're doing me a favor," Kukui admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Not all the features of the Rotom Dex are 100 percent complete, and we need to learn how the Rotom works with the dex's internal components. We need to Bulk Up the dex, but we can only do that after someone has used it first to test out the features."

Rose nodded. "I understand. Alright, I'm going to head to Route 1 to do some training, then head off to Route 2 and Verdant Cavern! Oh, hey Rotom, are there any good training spots on Route 1?"

"Analyzing," Rotom declared, a loading wheel appearing on the screen before a map of Melemele Island appeared, with a red flag suddenly appearing on a cave located on Route 1. "Ten Carat Hill is a natural cave located on the route, zzt! Pokemon that make their natural habitat there are Zubat, Diglet, Roggenrola, Carbink, Machop, Spinda, and Rockruff."

"All those huh," Rose thought. "Might want to catch one of them too and add to my team. Alright, sounds perfect, I'll go there first before I head off to complete my trial. I'll be back later, guys!"

"Good luck in your trial!" Kukui called after her and she began heading in the direction of Route 1, with Rotom hovering after her, the image of the map still located on its screen. "Alright, first let's stop by my office before heading up to the classroom. I need to grab something first."

"The students are getting a half day today, right?" Jason asked, following after Kukui as he entered the building.

"That's right," Kukui stated, turning left and walking down the hall. "I want to meet Rose after her trial to see how she did." He entered his office and headed towards his desk, and open looking at the desk and at the box full of amulets, he frowned. "That's odd. I could have sworn there were more amulets in here."

"Huh?" Jason walked over, looking into the box and quickly counting. "Didn't you have 10 amulets in total? There's only nine here."

"Yes, perhaps I miscounted them," Kukui thought aloud as he placed the one sitting on his desk in his pocket. "Strange, but I'll look into it later since we are going to be late if we search for it now."

Jason, however, was frowning as he followed after Professor Kukui, who heading down the hall and taking a right. Jason's face grew a little anxious suddenly, and he began muttering to himself. "It doesn't bother me, it doesn't bother me," but as he muttered that, the anxiety in his eyes grew. "It bothers me, it bothers me a lot."

"Let's just focus on class," Kukui whispered to him before he walked into the classroom with Jason following after him, who was still muttering to himself. Kukui smiled, looking around the classroom. "Alola, everyone! Before we begin class, I would like to talk to Wes out in the hallway. No, you are not in trouble, Wes, just please follow me real quick."

"Uh, sir?" A blonde haired girl wearing a white dress and a white hat pipped up, raising her hand. "Wes isn't here. We stopped by his dorm room earlier today too to check up on him and make sure he came to class, since he seemed pretty down about not getting chosen for the Island Challenge, and he wasn't in there."

"What?" Jason scowled, immediately donning a look of anger.

"Hmm, seems like that is the case," Kukui frowned, looking around to see that Wes indeed was missing. "Thank you, Lillie. I wonder what could have happened to him."

"I think I got a good idea of where that missing amulet is," Jason growled softly. "Oh, that punk, when I get my hands on him, he's in for it!"

"Jason, wait!" Kukui shouted, but Jason was already heading out the door, power walking at a pace that was just under running speeds. He didn't get too far, however, when suddenly Samson Oak appeared before him.

"Not so fast, Jason," Samson said. "I need to talk to you."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it has to wait," Jason replied firmly. "I need to head to Verdant Cavern and make sure a certain student doesn't sneak his way into the trials with a stolen amulet."

Samson looked confused, but he quickly shook his head. "We have to look into stolen amulets and students breaking rules later, I am afraid."

"But-" Jason was about to begin, but Samson held his hand up to interrupt him.

"There was an incident at the Aether Paradise this morning," Samson stated. "We aren't too sure what happened, hence why we need you to go and investigate. Make sure you don't rule out the option that Aether Paradise itself is up to something."

"Oh, come on, I don't think those pokemon activists would really be plotting something," Jason sighed, irritated. This was a waste of time in his mind, and every second he wasted was another second Wes would be out there thinking he was about to get away with stealing a amulet.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Samson warned, looking grim. "Don't forget, this world has seen activists in the past with alternate motives."

"Right, Team Plasma," Jason hissed. "Alright, I'll check it out, then head off to find Wes. I know he stole that missing amulet, and I know that little brat is trying to participate in the trial at noon. Well, not on my watch he won't!"

XxXxXxX

"All healed up and with 5 minutes before we need to meet this Trial Captain," Wes grinned, standing outside of the cave entrance, indicated by a sign that read "Verdant Cavern", which Wes was leaning against. "And no one is here yet. Guess it's time to wait."

"Have you even thought about what you are going to say to Rose?" Nayru asked. "I mean, she could be here any moment."

"Oh, I'm sure when Rose get's here, I'll know what to say," Wes stated, smirking with confidence.

"And just what would it be that you would say to me?" Rose's voice suddenly asked. Wes was startled by her sudden appearance, standing up suddenly and turning to her with wide eyes and a sheepish smile. Rose was standing there with her arms crossed, her eyes piercing through Wes as though trying to read his mind. Bagon was also standing there staring at Wes with a similar look.

"Hey, Rose," Wes hesitantly spoke, sweat forming on the back of his head. "Turns out Jason made a mistake yesterday and I am one of the ones doing the trials too. I caught a Pokemon so I can quality as well. Faye is a cutiefly, wanna see?"

"Smooth," Nayru whispered, nudging Wes. "She'll never suspect a thing."

"Shut up," Wes whispered to her from the corner of his mouth. Rose raised an eyebrow but said nothing, her piercing glare unfazed.

"Ah, so Kukui has chosen two of his students to partake," A voice coming from the cave entrance spoke. Wes turned to see a younger, tanned man with pink hair, wearing a brown vest with dark brown designs over white clothes. "Yes, both of you have an amulet on your bags, so it makes sense. My name is Ilima, and I will be over seeing the very first trial you two will be partaking in. Before we begin, are there any questions?"

Wes paled a little, still sensing Rose's eyes on him, but she didn't say a word. "I think we're good," Wes shaky voice said.

"I can tell you are nervous," Ilima pointed out. "Now, allow me to explain the basics of my trial, what you should attempt to do is defeat six of the pokemon that lurk here in their dens!"

"Pokemon battles, huh?" Wes asked, a grin forming on his face. "My speciality."

Ilima laughed a bit. "Hold on cowboy, I'm not done yet. After that, you two need to reach the pedestal deep within the cave and collect the z-crystal there! Afterwards, show me the z-crystal and I will give you a second one so that both of you can have one. You'll need to be completely in sync with your pokemon to succeed."

"Sounds simple enough." Rose stated, looking over at him. "But I don't see how this trial will be challenging at all with two people taking it at the same time."

Ilima nodded. "Yes, I understand, but since this year we are letting the students do trials in their class groups, we have already made up for that. First, the goals you are to accomplish usually are much more intensive. Normally, I would have a solo trial goer fight three pokemon, while I am having you two fight six."

"And the totem pokemon?" Rose asked.

"Ah, so you have already been informed of the totem pokemon, have you?" Ilima asked. "Yes, while many strong pokemon make their home in this cave, one stronger and more fearsome than all the rest, known as a totem pokemon, also resides here. It will be the greatest obstacle you face as you attempt to clear my trial."

"So will you be sending out two totem pokemon to compensate for the additional person?" Wes asked. Ilima started to chuckle, an unsettling laugh that made Wes' stomach turn. He was now wishing he hadn't stuffed himself full of those snacks.

"You'll have to get to the totem pokemon's den to find out," Ilima explained. "By the way, until you clear the trial, you will not be able to catch pokemon in Verdant Cavern. Now, if you two are ready, we can begin right away."

"Ready," both Wes and Rose said at the same time, nodding at Ilima.

"Then you may begin," Ilima stated. Wes and Rose turned to the cave entrance and walked inside, looking around. The cave was somewhat small, with multiple holes spread out across the cave.

"Alright, let's get started." Wes grinned, turning to Rose, only to see the red head glaring at him again.

"I know you aren't supposed to be here," Rose bluntly stated. "And while I held my tongue in front of Ilima, once we get back to the school I will turn you in for stealing that amulet and coming here, despite Jason not choosing you."

"Oh, right," Wes narrowed his eyes, before gaining a grin. "Look, just because your boyfriend only picked you, doesn't mean any other student in our classroom, especially me, can't do this as well."

"He isn't my boyfriend," Rose stated. "First of all, he is our senior and we are supposed to respect him. Second of all, it is improper for a teacher and a student to have any form of relationship. I'll actually have you know that romance is not what I came to this school for, and it will not be anything I even dare think about until I am champion."

"Sure, because that isn't what you are attracted to," Wes continued to tease her, ignoring what she had said. "I bet you are just thinking to yourself about how smart and talented he is, probably thinking that is what you are attracted to."

"I don't have time for this," Rose sighed. "Bagon, Headbutt!"

The dragon pokemon suddenly jumped up and slammed into Wes, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground.

"Oww... what is in his head, concrete?"

"Her head," Rose corrected him. "Now shut up and focus, we need to defeat six pokemon in their dens. Bagon, check one of the dens."

Bagon nodded, walking over to the den and looking into it. She suddenly jumped back as a pokemon covered in brown fur with a yellow stripe down its back and underside emerged from the hole, a tuft of yellow hair on it's head.

"What is that?" Wes asked, standing back up.

"Rotom, identify that pokemon please," Rose said to her bag. Wes looked confused until the Rotom Dex flew out of her bag and turned to them, displaying a picture of the pokemon in question.

"It's a Yangoos, zzt!" Rotom spoke. "Average height, 1 foot 4 inches with an average weight of 13.2 pounds, normal type."

"Is that PokeDex... talking?" Wes asked, weirded out.

"No time to explain. Go, Bagon!" Rose commanded. "Use Dragon Claw!" Bagon nodded, dashing forward with her claw covered in green energy, slashing at the Yangoos, who get severely hurt and fled back into the den.

"Hey, we're supposed to be working together," Wes pointed out, looking upset.

"Then pull your weight," Rose suggested, point over towards three additional dens. "Go over there and see if any Yangoos are in those spots.

"Fine," Wes muttered, pulling out his Level Ball. "Faye, come out!" Faye appeared from her ball, flying into the air and looking at her trainer for orders. Rose looked at the cutiefly for a moment before heading off with Bagon to examine other dens. Wes walked over to the three dens Rose pointed out to him. "Faye, can you fly into one of those dens and see if any Yangoos are in there?"

Faye nodded, instantly zipping into one den, before suddenly zooming back out in a panic as a Yangoos appeared, before shouting out. Two additional Yangoos appeared, all growling angrily at Wes.

"Well, that wasn't intentional," Wes blinked in surprise, before smirking. "But that's just fine, because I can get three birds, er... Yangoos, with one stone! Faye, use Fairy Wind! Nayru, use Dazzling Gleam!"

"Right," Nayru confirmed, as Faye nodded. Both pokemon leapt into the air, with Faye flapping her wings rapidly and creating a gust of wind with sparkles in it, while Nayru shined in a white light, sending out rainbow colored beams. Both attacks hit the Yangoos, who scurried away quickly to avoid getting hit anymore.

"Good job, guys!" Wes cheered, petting them both. "Now let's rejoin Rose." They didn't need a walk too far, as Rose was just around the corner, battling two Yangoos with two pokemon Wes hadn't seen before. The first was a small sea lion that is primarily blue with large eyes, a long, white snout, black whiskers, and round, pink nose, and a light blue ruff around its neck, which extends past its shoulders. The second pokemon was a dog like pokemon with light brown fur and a darker brown muzzle, paws, and ear tips. It had large blue eyes, button ears, a short muzzle with a triangular pink nose, and a short tuft of fur on each cheek. Around its neck is a ruff of grayish-white fur stubbed with dark brown pebbles. If Wes had to make a guess, Rose had the blue pokemon already, while she had caught the light brown pokemon earlier that day.

"Popplio, use Water Gun!" Rose commanded. "Rockruff, use Bite!"

The blue pokemon shot out a spray of water, while the dog pokemon ran forward and bit into the second Yangoos. Both retreated immediately, Rockruff letting go to allow its escape. Wes walked forward as Rose recalled her pokemon, Popplio going into an ordinary pokeball and Rockruff doing into a Fast Ball.

"Is it just me, or is this almost too easy?" Wes asked her.

"Don't let your guard down," Rose warned him. "We still got a totem pokemon to deal with."

"Right," Wes sighed, uninterested. "I dunno, I expected this to be just like a gym battle, with tons of challenging pokemon to defeat. This is nothing like that, hell these yangoos were just wild pokemon making their dens in here."

Rose glared at him before heading off deeper into the cave, with Wes following after her, still mumbling to himself about the ease of this trial. After a few minutes of walking, Rose stopped and pointed. "Look, I think I can see the pillar and the z-crystal!"

"Alright," Wes grinned, running forward. "Then let's grab it and leave!"

"Wait, Wes, the totem pokemon!" Rose shouted after him.

"Maybe it got too scared and ran off?" Wes suggested, still grinning. His grin faded, however, when a large shadow formed on the ground, getting bigger and bigger. Wes barely managed to leap back, narrowly avoiding the spot that a large pokemon landed on, letting out a roar. It looked very much like Yangoos, but stood on its hind legs, had jagged fur in different placed, and had a larger tuft of hair then Yangoos did. It also seemed to have a yellow beard on his chin as well. It looked down at Wes with a glare, before roaring again. A golden aura suddenly surrounded the pokemon, making it much more intimidating to look it.

"W-what is that thing?" Wes asked, backing up. "And why did it just go Super Saiyan!?"

"Analyzing," Rotom instantly said. "It is a Gumshoos, normal type. Average height 2 feet, 4 inches with an average weight of 31.3 pounds."

"Ok, I know that's only average height, but this Gumshoos is as tall as we are," Rose pointed out, her eyes also wide.

"This is a totem pokemon," Wes realized, looking at the Gumshoos. "A pokemon more powerful then ordinary pokemon."

"That aura is powerful," Nayru noticed, looking at the Gumshoos. "I am sensing that Gumshoos is receiving massive power from it."

"Upon analyzing the aura, I have concluded that aura boosts the attack, defense and speed of that Gumshoos drastically," Rotom pointed out, ducking into Rose's bag once again. "If you don't mind, I'm going to hide before it decides that I am an enemy."

"It's the perfect pokemon to battle against," Wes grinned, his excitement clear. "Faye, use Silver Wind!"

Faye flew high into the air, flapping her wings rapidly and sending out silver bursts of energy contained within gusts of wind. Gumshoos took the blows, but barely seemed affected by it, before jumping high into the air and tackling Faye, sending her flying to the ground.

"Faye!" Wes screamed out.

"Popplio, use Water Gun!" Rose commanded. Popplio leaped forward and sent out a jet of water, which caught Gumshoos attention. He charged at Popplio, colliding into the sea lion pokemon and sending it flying into the wall. Faye and Popplio both were unable to move, knocked out from the attack alone. Wes recalled Faye into her ball, as Rose did the same to Popplio.

"We need to avoid getting hit at all costs," Wes growled, standing up and glaring at Gumshoos. "Nayru, use Confusion!"

"I hope this works," Nayru prayed, her body glowing with energy. Gumshoos was surrounded by the same glow, and he closed his eyes in pain before turning sharply and slamming into Nayru, who was sent flying, but got up from the attack.

"Are you ok?" Wes called out to her.

"That really hurt, but I think I can continue," Nayru hissed in pain.

"Rockruff, use Leer," Rose commanded. "If we lower his defense, perhaps we can take it down!"

Rockruff's eyes glowed red, and what looked like two red energy beams shot from his eyes and hit Gumshoos, who was surrounded by the same energy. Gumshoos, however, wasn't having any of it, and charged at Rockruff, bitting onto him with a Super Fang attack. Due to being a rock type, Rockruff escaped from the attack without fainting, but he looked like he had taken a lot of damage from it.

"That did lower his defense," Rotom said from Rose's bag. "But he is still pumped up with attack and speed! Be careful!"

"Nayru, use Growl," Wes commanded. "Rose lowered his defense, so we will lower his attack!"

"Got it," Nayru said, before inhaling and letting out a sonic screech, which caused Gumshoos to cover his ears in pain. Gumshoos immediately charged again, using another Super Fang on Rockruff, causing it to faint. Nayru was about to attack again, but Gumshoos got the first move, attack with another Tackle that sent Nayru into the wall again.

"Nayru!" Wes shouted, running over to where she hit the wall.

Rose fell to her knees, looking shocked at Gumshoos, who was eyeing Bagon with confidence that he was unbeatable. "W-we can't beat it," she said to herself, looking at the ground, defeated. "He is too powerful, we can't win no matter what we do."

"What are you saying!?" Wes screamed at her. Rose looked stunned, turning her head to look at Wes, who was glaring at her from the rubble he was standing on, Nayru panting at his feet. "You are just going to give up!? You, the girl who is considered the best in the entire school!?"

"But, we can't beat it," Rose stated. "He is too strong for our pokemon to beat."

"Screw that textbook crap," Wes hissed, taking out a Super Potion from his backpack and using it on Nayru, who was healed of some of her injuries. "I'm still standing, and I still got a pokemon left! That's all the reason I need to continue this battle! It doesn't matter what you read in a textbook, or think based on math and logic, all that matters is that you got one pokemon left, and can still battle! If you don't give up, even if the odds seem against you, you can win! If you give up, you'll always be a loser! Nayru, use Growl again!"

Nayru sent out another sonic screech, and this one seemed to do a lot more. Gumshoos yelled in pain from the sonic waves piercing his ears, and when he used his Tackle again, it seemed to not harm Nayru as much, as the ralts got back up, a confident smirk on her face.

"Use Dazzlimg Gleam!" Wes commanded, and when Nayru unleashed her rainbow beams, Rose could see Gumshoos looked more damaged by them then the last time.

"He's... actually weakening it," Rose said in awe, starting to stand up. She looked down at Bgaon, who was looking at her, awaiting orders. "Well, we can't let Wes hog all to glory, huh? Bagon, use Dragon Claw!"

Bagon charged forward, and slashed at Gumshoos, who cried in pain and tackled Bagon away, but the dragon pokemon instantly got up, ready for more.

"End this!" Wes and Rose both shouted at the same time. "Attack one more time!"

Nayru sent out a final Dazzling Gleam, and Bagon charged forward and slashed at Gumshoos with another Dragon Claw. The totem pokemon finally fell, unconscious and defeated by the two trainers, who were panting and looking at Gumshoos.

"We won... Alright, we won!" Wes cheered, holding up his hand, his pointer and middle fingers extended in a victory pose.

"We actually beat it," Rose said in shock. "Even though I thought it would be impossible, we actually did it."

"See?" Wes grinned, walking over and taking the z-crystal in the pedestal. "Now come on, let's deliver this to Ilima so we can both get our z-crystal."

"Don't you mean Rose will take that z-crystal, and you will come with me back to the school?" A voice asked. Wes instantly paled, turning slowly to see Jason standing at the entrance to the Gumshoos den, his eyes locked on Wes in anger.

"Oh, hi... Jason," Wes sheepishly greeted him. "How's the weather?"

"It's about to be stormy." Jason growled, walking forward. "Now, give that z-crystal to Rose, and you're coming with me to serve an entire year of detentions! Pronto!"

"Actually, I think we should hold off on that," Another voice said. They all turned to see Professor Kukui standing there, a grin on his face. "Wes! Rose! You two did it!"

"You... aren't mad?" Jason asked, flabbergasted.

"Well, a little," Kukui admitted. "Wes, if you had only waited till this morning, I would have given you an amulet and a letter, explaining to Rose that you were MY choice for the Island Challenge."

"WHAT!?" Jason, Wes and Rose all yelled in shock.

"You can't be serious," Jason exclaimed, pointing at Wes. "I thought only I was choosing the students for the challenge in your class, so why am I suddenly just learning that you were going to choose him as well?"

"Maybe you can't see it," Kukui explained, beaming at Wes. "But Wes has a ton of potential to be a great trainer, potential that can be unlocked with just a little bit of initiative, and some finer learning. But we can talk about all that later. I believe you two need to turn that z-crystal into Ilima to get a second one?"

"Yes, Professor," both Wes and Rose stated, hurrying off. Kukui and Jason looked after them for a moment, silence between the two teachers.

"Jason, maybe I should tell you why upon your choice of Rose, I instantly knew that Wes should go on this challenge as well," Kukui stated, looking at him. "The sun and the moon are opposites, but they need each other, you see? Wes is like the sun, warm and full of life, but hot-headed, cocky and at times dare I say a little destructive. Rose is like the moon, cool, calculating and mysterious, but lonely and often times thinks too much into things. They both have something the other lacks, and from the moment they met I could tell they could learn just as much from each other as they could in this school, perhaps a bit more from one another."

"I still don't like the idea of Wes going on this challenge," Jason admitted, sighing. "But I cannot argue with you or overrule your order."

"You can give him ONE detention for stealing the amulet though," Kukui stated, laughing a little. "I believe that is fair."


	4. Day at the Beach

**As always, thank you very much to The King of Emerald for Beta Reading this story to fix my stupid mistakes. I would also like to thank Umbruhon for reviewing Chapter 3, as well as everyone who reads this story.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and if you like the story or want to make suggestions, feel free to leave a review.**

* * *

Jason sighed, having just gotten though a detention session with Wes. The student teacher was walking out of the regular classroom, rubbing his head. He was so angry about Wes stealing the amulet, as well as discovering that Wes was to be chosen anyway, that the second he got back from Verdant Cavern, he caught Wes and gave him his detention immediately. It was close to dinner time that Friday, and Jason had still failed to report to Samson about his findings at Aether Paradise. Wasting no more time, he power walked into the office of the cousin of Samuel Oak. "I'm extremely sorry, sir. I got caught up in something else..."

"Giving Wes his punishment, were ya?" Samson asked, though he seemed to already know the answer, as he was smiling a knowing smile. "No harm done. Now, what did you discover while you were at Aether Paradise?"

"According to the employees, one of their pokemon escaped," Jason reported. "Which one, I don't know. They did not want to tell me, and when I began asking 'too many questions', I was kindly escorted out of the facility."

"Most curious," Samson muttered, scratching his head. "And most suspicious as well. The fact that they wouldn't give us the identity of the pokemon in question is most troubling."

"You don't think this has to do with the Ultra Beasts, do you?" Jason asked, with a look of worry. Despite being the Kalos League Champion, even he was unsure when it came to these strange creatures.

"We cannot say for sure," Samson admitted. "The pokemon that had escaped could be anything, native to Alola or not. We should keep tabs on the news and other sources, and I will let the Kahunas know what happened so they can keep an eye out for any suspicious pokemon. In the meantime, continue with your work with Kukui's class... and keep an eye out for Team Skull, will you? They seem to be more active then usual."

Jason nodded. "I understand."

XxXxXxX

The weekend passed so quickly, that every student there swore all they did was blink and they missed it, however for Wes this was fine. He had yet to show off his z-crystal to his fellow classmates, and the second Monday rolled around, he made sure he got his chance. "So, this giant Gumshoos came down from out of nowhere, surrounded by this golden aura, then-"

Rose groaned, turning the page in a school book she was attempting to read. "I really wish he would shut up."

"How accurate is his story?" Lillie asked, who was sitting in the desk next to Rose.

"I'm the one who told him to go check the dens," Rose stated.

"Then I told Rose she should use Leer on it to weaken it's defenses," Wes continued.

"And I used Leer by my own accord, thank you," Rose said, a bit loud so that some of the students listening to Wes looked back at her before continuing to listen to Wes retell the story. Rose sighed, slamming the book shut. "He is full of himself."

"Maybe you can beat him in another battle," Lillie suggested.

Rose sighed, irritation clear in her voice. "Maybe, but I don't think beating him will do anything. Sure, after I beat him the first time I caught him actually training seriously, but I think all me beating him again would do is waste my time."

"And just as Rose was giving up hope, I-" Wes was saying.

"And that will have to be the end of your story for now," Kukui's voice said, as he walked through the door. Some of the students groaned a bit, but for the most part they scattered without a fuss. One boy in particular, blonde haired with a green shirt, white backpack and white pants, walked past Rose and whispered to her, "I know you were the one who really did the most work in that trial."

"Thanks Jaun," Rose whispered back.

"I hope you guys have swimming wear," Kukui announced, grinning widely. "Because I decided today we are going to take a field trip to my lab on Route 1, specifically the private beach I own there!"

Amidst the mummers of excitement, Jason cleared his throat. "Hold on, guys. This isn't just for playing in the sand or swimming in the ocean now."

Kukui nodded. "Jason is correct. You guys are going to take notes on the habitats of the aquatic pokemon that live in the secluded area, as well as studying the reactions of pokemon not used to beach like environments. For that, each of you will use your own pokemon, as well as taking notes on how everyone else's pokemon are acting. It's more like a play date for the pokemon, rather than you guys." Several students groaned, but Kukui continued. "Most of you should know how to get to my lab from here. If you don't-"

"You can literally see it from here," Jason stated, pointing out the window towards the familiar looking wooden building in the distance. "It's about a 15 minute walk, give or take."

"What if we don't have swim wear?" Rose asked. "I, uh, didn't pack any since I didn't think we would ever go to the beach."

"No harm done," Kukui grinned, pointing in the other direction outside of the window. "The clothing store has swim wear, so go down there and pick out one. We'll meet down by my beach in an hour, so till then, you are dismissed."

"Make sure you don't skip this," Jason warned, raising his voice so he could be heard over the students talking excitedly as they got up. "I'll know if any of you skip!"

"You got a pair of trunks, Wes?" Jaun asked, his hazel eyes locked onto the silver haired teen. "I kinda forgot to pack a pair.

"I brought a pair, but I doubt they fit anymore," Wes stated, shrugging.

"Last time we went swimming was when you were 11, and you did grow since then," Nayru stated.

"In that case, let's go with the girls." Jaun suggested, gesturing over to Rose and Lillie, who were talking to one another. They noticed Juan gesture, and both walked over, with Rose giving Wes a dirty look that made the teen look at her weirdly.

"You boys need some swim suits as well?" Lillie asked. "We might as well go together, then."

"Though I would rather he not come along," Rose growled, glaring at Wes.

"Oh, come on, what did I do?" Wes asked.

"We both put in the effort to accomplish that trial," Rose snapped, crossing her arms. "And if you can recall in that thick skull of yours, I was the one who thought of weakening his defenses with Leer. Don't make yourself seem like the hero in your little retellings."

"Ok, so maybe I exaggerated on the details, but I was the one who motivated you when you were crying on the ground giving up hope," Wes shot back.

"I was not crying, you insufferable turd!" Rose yelled, her arms crossed so tight it looked as though she was trying to physically keep herself from strangling Wes. "Sure, I was distressed, but I bet if you weren't reckless, you would've been as well!"

"Alright, let's go," Jaun muttered, gesturing Rose and Wes out of the room as everyone in the class still present in the room stared after them, with Lillie sheepishly waving at them in embarrassment before zooming after them. Jason sighed as he watched them go.

"What an ego," Jason grumbled, shaking his head. "And you said they would complement each other with what the other lacked? Their arguing just proves they aren't going to get along."

"I never said they would be best friends right away," Kukui maundered, looking after them with a nervous gaze. "But I didn't think they would be at each other's throats..."

XxXxXxX

"So, what are you supposed to do with that z-crystal anyway?" Jaun suddenly asked, as they began walking down the sidewalk of Hau'oli City.

"I don't remember Ilima telling us what these do, do you?" Wes asked Rose.

"No, he said nothing about it," Rose admitted, pulling the crystal out of her bag and staring deeply into it. "He just told us it was proof we accomplished the first trial, but nothing else."

"I heard that z-crystals can be used to unleash powerful moves called z-moves," Lillie stated, leading the pack and looking back at them over her shoulder, her alolan Vulpix at her side. "But I don't remember how they said you need to do it."

"A z-move, huh?" Wes asked, looking over at Nayru who was on his shoulder. "You feelin' like you can pull off something like that with that crystal."

"Honestly, no," Nayru shrugged. "Maybe we need to collect more z-crystals first."

"Well, let's worry about that later," Jaun said, looking to his right. "Here we are!"

After walking into the store, Jaun, Wes, Lillie and Rose instantly all split up, with the boys going one way and the girls going another. About 10 minutes passed before Jaun and Wes were instantly ready, carrying bags with their swim suits in them. They started waiting for the girls, who seemed to take forever before finally Lillie and Rose joined them, with Lillie smiling at them, but Rose seemed embarrassed for some reason.

"What's eating her?" Wes asked, but all he got in reply was a glare from the red head and a nervous giggle from Lillie.

"We might as well head down to the beach," Jaun said, adjusting his backpack. "We can change at the Professor's lab, so there's no point going back to the dorms."

XxXxXxX

It didn't take long for the boys to change once they got to the beach front. Within a minute of getting there, Wes and Jaun emerged from the lab in their swim trunks and shirts off. Wes was now wearing a red pair of swim trunks with a black half pokeball design on the left and right side, cut off by the waistline. He also had a pair of goggles on, and since he could see out of them just as good as he did while wearing glasses, Jaun had to guess they were prescription. Jaun, meanwhile, was wearing a pair of green trunks, with white palm tree designs on them.

"And now to wait," Wes sighed, sitting down. "Girls take forever."

"Hey," Nayru glared, bopping her trainer on the head.

"It's not going to be that much longer," Jaun sighed, turning back to the lab. "In fact, I hear Lillie inside."

"Come on, Rose, it looks good on you," Lillie was saying in an encouraging voice.

"I-It's too much skin," Rose said ashamed. "I wish they had something other then bikinis..."

"Come on," Lillie whined.

"All right, all right."

Lillie and Rose both stepped out of the lab, and instantly Lillie waved at the boys and ran over, while Rose stayed rooted in the doorway of the lab, looking down clearly embarrassed. Lillie was wearing a white bikini with a white skirt bottom, and Rose was wearing a navy blue bikini with a skirt like bottom. Jaun waved back at Lillie, walking over to meet her, but Wes remained frozen. He was staring at Rose, a blush on his face, in awe of what he was seeing.

"Alola, Wes," Lillie's voice snapped him out of it, the blonde waving in front of his face. "You alright, Wes?"

"I'm good," Wes stammered a little fast, his eyes darting away from them. Jaun and Lille looked at one another, before both of them grinned, realizing at once what was up. Rose glared at him before walking down the stairs of the lab, clearly uncomfortable, heading off to the shoreline.

"Well, that was unexpected," Nayru declared, grinning up at Wes. "You seem to find her attractive, master."

"Shut up." Wes snapped, glaring at the pokemon. "Ok, sure, she looks good in that bikini, but behind those looks is a personality of a granbull."

"I can't tell if she's embarrassed by the bikini, or by you seeing her in it," Nayru grinned, looking over at Rose, who was sitting by the shore line facing away from them. "Her mental patterns are hard to read, unlike yours, master."

"I said shut it," Wes hissed. It didn't take long for the tension to die down, and before long the other students began showing up, and Rose began blending a bit in as some of the other girls also were wearing bikinis, of course that didn't stop a lot of the guys from staring, and each one was either lectured, hit, or in the case of someone checking out Rose, Headbutted by Bagon.

"Alright, seems like everyone is here," Kukui declared, having just arrived with Jason, who was wearing his usual outfit as though he was avoiding the water at all costs. "Now, remember that we aren't here to have fun, though I can see some of you already went for a swim." He looked at Wes, Jaun and a few other guys, all who were wrestling in the water just moments ago. "Either way, you are to study the habitats of the pokemon native to this beach like area, as well as how all of your own pokemon and your fellow class mates' pokemon act around the water. Oh, and don't think we aren't going to require something from you, as you will have to write a 2 to 3 page essay on this subject."

At this, the students groaned, which prompted Jason to speak up. "Hey, it could be worse. At least you guys actually got to come to the beach in general."

"Alright, go off and study some pokemon!" Kukui declared. "You got till 11 am, so 2 hours."

"And, of course, most of them are goofing off already," Jason muttered, watching several of the students run off into the water, cheering.

"Eh, can't be helped," Kukui sighed, taking out an umbrella and a beach chair. "To be honest, this assignment serves three purposes, a chance for the students to learn, a chance for them to play a bit, and a chance for me to Rest when I am supposed to be working. I'm sure they will be fine."

"Was that another move pun? Never mind, either way, most of them are going to just BS their essays," Jason sighed, but he too seemed more relaxed as he sat down, directly on the sand.

"H-hey, Wes?" Chloe asked, approaching Wes, who stopped splashing at Lillie and Jaun to look over at her. "W-what do you think of my swim suit?" She extended her arms so he could see the entire thing, which was a red bikini.

"Looks good on you, Chloe!" Wes grinned, giving a thumbs up.

"O-oh, you think so!?" Chloe happily asked, blushing intensively. "Th-thank you!"

"You're welcome," Wes happily replied back, missing Rose once again watching him as he interacted with Chloe, this time with a bit of a glare.

"Is that a pikachu!?"

Rose blinked, looking over at where the girl was pointing, and her jaw dropped in surprise. A pikachu was indeed in the water, but riding on what looked like a pink surf board, and had blue eyes instead of the black regular pikachu had. Every time the tail of the pikachu would hit the water, a wave was created, which the pikachu rode on before jumping up and doing flips and turns, looking very happy.

"A surfing pikachu!?" Chloe gasped, watching.

"What a rare find," Jaun declared, grinning a little. "I shall capture this pikachu and add it to my team."

"Not before I do!" Lillie declared, turning to her alolan vulpix. "Come on, Shiron!"

"Oh yeah? You gotta beat me to catch it," Jaun declared, pulling a pokeball from his pocket. "Go, Totodile!" A bipedal, blue crocodile with red spines on its back and tail appeared from the ball, and began swimming towards the pikachu. Since Totodile was a water type, it had the advantage over Shiron, who was barely making headway with swimming. However, this was perhaps a good thing, as Totodile closed in on Pikachu, the mouse pokemon suddenly struck the water again, summoning another wave that swept Totodile up and lunched it into the air. Instantly, Pikachu fired off electricity from its body, hitting Totodile head on and sending it crashing into the water, knocked out.

"Totodile!" Jaun cried in shock, recalling it into the pokeball with a beam of red light. "You did your best."

"My turn!" Lillie declared. "Shiron, use Powder Snow on the water to give yourself a platform to stand on." Shiron nodded, opening its mouth and breathing out a snowy gust, which froze the water into a big platform that Shiron leapt onto. "Now, use Powder Snow on Pikachu!"

"Don't let Lillie hog all the glory!" Wes declared. "Nayru, use Shadow Ball!"

Shiron and Nayru both leapt onto the icy platform, with Shiron firing off another gust of snow and Nayru creating a ball of purple and black energy before firing it at Pikachu. The two attacks were approaching Pikachu at high speeds, but the mouse pokemon was ready. With a sudden display of agility, it leapt into the air and narrowly avoided the Shadow Ball and Powder Snow duo. Upon landing, Pikachu turned and raised its tail, now showing that on the tail was an indent in the shape of the top of a heart, showing that Pikachu was a girl. An orb of water formed at the top of the tail, before she slammed it onto the surface of the water, creating a giant wave which headed right towards Nayru and Shiron, sweeping them into the water. Additionally, the wave was so large, it slammed into not only Wes and Lillie, but also Jaun and a few other trainers as well, knocking them all back onto the shoreline. Nayru and Shiron were both weakened by the attack, but still seemed conscious.

"Are you ok, Shiron?" Lillie asked. Shiron nodded weakly in response with a smile.

"Ouch, that Surf attack packs quite a punch," Nayru muttered, rubbing her head.

"You're telling me," Wes groaned, his eyes shut in pain.

"Seems like we figured out how Pikachu is creating the waves, though," Jaun thought out loud, putting his fingers to his chin. "Not only can she surf on a surf board, but she is also capable of using the attack Surf as well."

"That won't stop us!" A bunch of students suddenly declared. "Get that pikachu!" One by one, the students sent out a bunch of pokemon, charing into the water, and one by one, they were all knocked back. Their pokemon either weak to Pikachu's Thunder Shock or Surf, or taken out by the power Pikachu seemed to possess.

"This is insane." Rose muttered, watching all this occur, before finally she stood fully up. "Popplio, knock Pikachu to shore!"

Popplio dove into the water instantly. She managed to swim directly under Pikachu, before surfacing behind her and letting loose a powerful Water Gun. Pikachu was hit by it, and sent flying onto the beach, where Rose ran up to her, carrying her white bag which she retrieved by the lab.

"You may have taken out the others, but you won't get me that easily," Rose declared. "Electric and water moves are not very effective against a pure dragon type. Bagon, let's go!" Bagon leapt forward, clicking her jaw in anticipation. "Use Headbutt!"

Bagon charged forward, slamming into Pikachu with all her might. Pikachu cried out in pain, flying back a bit and landing on the beach before standing up, ready for more. Suddenly, she smiled, glowing white before flying forward and slamming into Bagon, who cried out in pain.

"That was a Quick Attack," Rotom announced, appearing out of Rose's bag. "Oh, are we at the beach? Wow, looking good, Rose!"

"Good morning, Rotom," Rose glared, blushing a little in irritation. "Bagon, Shadow Claw!"

Bagon flew forward, her claw outlined in purple as she slashed at Pikachu, who cried out in pain, struggling to stand up, but when she did, her eyes flashed a little before returning to their standard blue. She spun around, forming an orb of water on her tail before slamming it into the ground, creating a giant wave that slammed into Bagon, knocking her back.

"Wow, a Surf using pikachu, zzt!" Rotom gasped. "I need data on this, pronto!"

"Bagon, one more Headbutt!" Rose commanded. Bagon charged forward, but this time Pikachu was ready. Pikachu dodged Bagon's charge, before striking it with Thunder Shock, causing the dragon to yelp in pain before hitting the ground, unable to continue.

"Bagon!" Rose gasped, putting out her Great Ball. "You did very well, please rest."

"Pikachu seems very powerful, zzt." Rotom pointed out.

"But she is getting weak," Rose declared. "Popplio, use Disarming Voice!" Popplio shrieked, unleashing a powerful sound wave which caused Pikachu to clamp her ears to her head. Irritated by the sound, Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunder Shock, which zapped Popplio and instantly caused her to faint. "Popplio, return! Now, go Rockruff!"

"Rockruff!?" Wes asked in shock. "Are you crazy? He won't stand a chance against Surf!"

Rose glared at Wes. "I know what I am doing. Rockruff, Sand Attack!" Rockruff nodded, kicking sand at Pikachu, who was blinded by the sand. At that, Pikachu grinned, forming the orb of water on her tail once again before slamming it down, creating the torrential wave of water. In an instant, Rockruff looked like he had gone under, but to everyone's surprise, Rockruff was missed by the wave, the sand blinding Pikachu enough to cause her to miss her mark.

"Now, Rockruff, weaken her with Tackle," Rose commanded, and at once Rockruff charged into Pikachu, sending her flying back. Pikachu began struggling to get up, weakened a lot from her battles with Rose's pokemon. "Now, Love Ball, go!" Rock threw a pink ball with a white outlined heart, the inside of the heart a lighter shade of pink. Pikachu was sucked into the ball, which began to wiggle. Three wiggles later, the ball clicked, indicating a successful capture.

"Alright, I got Pikachu!" Rose cheered, running forward and grabbing the Love Ball.

"Congratulations, Rose!" Wes cheered with her.

"Thanks, Wes." Rose smiled.

"Yes, congratulations indeed." Jaun nodded approvingly.

"Aww, I wanted to catch it." A few of the girls whined, crying.

"I'm sorry," Rose sheepishly replied. "Normally I don't go after cute pokemon like this, but a pikachu knowing Surf is very rare."

"Rare indeed," A unfamiliar voice suddenly said. Everyone turned sharply to see two guys standing there, dressed entirely in black with black bandanas covering their mouths. "Yo, girl, hand over the Love Ball containing Pikachu."

Tension filled the air, but suddenly Jason stepped forward, staring directly at the two men. "I was wondering if you would show up, and sure enough, here you are... Team Skull."

"Team Skull?" Wes asked, confused.

"They're a bunch of misfits, most of them have failed the Island Challenge in the past," Jaun explained. "They usually commit small crimes like stealing pokemon and vandalism. They mostly just cause trouble for the police and, of course, the teachers at this school."

"Hey, it's the guy," The first Team Skull member said, panic in his voice.

"Yeah, I recognize him," The second member said, his eyes locked onto Jason in anger. "Time for my revenge!"

"Uh, dude, we shouldn't fight him," The first member sheepishly suggested. "He'll wipe the floor with you, bro... again."

"Shut up!" The second member snapped, glaring before doing some poses. "This calls for my secret weapon, Salandit!" From his thrown PokeBall, a small, black lizard looking Pokémon with a dark gray body, and a black head and black feet appeared. Along its back and down its tail was an orange-red line. "Try this, punk!"

Jason blinked, surprised. "So, you actually managed to use your head and think of a type advantage against Cedric, huh?" That was when an uncharacteristically vicious grin flashed onto his face. "Too bad I can just use a different pokemon." Jason pulled out a Net Ball, throwing it high into the air. "Come out, Namira!" From the ball, a Golisopod appeared.

"What the heck is that?" Wes asked, staring at the giant bug in surprise.

"Golisopod", Rotomdex responded, scanning the six-armed menace from a very safe distance. "A Bug Water type. Golisopod can fight skillfully with its six arms, but they spend most of their days meditating peacefully in caves deep beneath the sea."

"Oh man, ain't that the same pokemon the boss has?" The first grunt asked.

"Who cares, bro? I'm still gonna win," the second one declared.

"I don't think so," Jason growled. "Namira, use Waterfall!" In an instant, Namira cloaked herself in water, before flying forward so suddenly, she cracked the ground she was previously standing on. She flew into the Salandit, sending it flying into a tree so hard the tree itself split, causing a loud thud when the trunk hit the sand.

"Oh man, what power!" Jaun gasped, staring in shock. Wes was watching in awe, unable to comprehend just how powerful Namira seemed to be.

"Oh man, that Salandit didn't cut it," The second member muttered, recalling the pokemon.

"Hey, let's split," The first grunt suggested, and in an instant both of them zipped off.

"And don't come back, you idiots!" Jason shouted after them, sighing before holding up his Net Ball. "Thank you, Namira. Return for now."

"Well, it's 10." Kukui suddenly announced from his beach chair, as though the whole incident hadn't just happened. "You guys got one hour left." At that, everyone paled, remembering suddenly they needed to research the pokemon here.

XxXxXxX

"Come on, Pikachu, please get back in your Love Ball!" Rose begged.

It was night time, and Rose had recalled her pokemon after they had all eaten their dinner. Pikachu, however, was being especially stubborn, as every time the red recalling energy beam fired from the ball, Pikachu would dodge it, uninterested in being in her ball.

"Oh, come on, you-" Rose growled in anger.

"What's up?" Wes asked, suddenly entering her room.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" Rose snapped, glaring at him. "Pikachu won't get into her ball, that's what's up!"

"Maybe you're just a bad trainer," Wes grinned, teasingly. He held up his hands in defense, as Rose looked like she was going to swing at him. "Relax, I'm teasing! Look, some pokemon just don't like being inside balls. Take Nayru for example, she hates them."

"They are the work of Darkrai," Nayru muttered. At that, Pikachu nodded, agreeing instantly.

Rose sighed. "Great, I catch a very rare surfing pikachu, and it hates pokeballs."

"Speaking of Pikachu." Wes suddenly said, walking over to the mouse. "Have you thought of a nickname yet?"

"I don't nickname my pokemon," Rose replied, glaring a little.

"You should," Wes suggested. "Makes the pokemon feel a little more unique and unlike others of the same species. Personally, if I were you I would go with naming her Maple!" At that, Pikachu suddenly jumped with glee, letting out a squeak of joy. "See? She likes it!"

"I'm not calling her Maple!" Rose declared, glaring at Wes. "And you won't change my mind!"

"Fine, fine, it was just a suggestion," Wes mumbled, walking out of the room. "See you in class tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever," Rose growled, slamming her door shut and locking it. She turned back to her pikachu, who was staring out the window now. "Who cares what he thinks, your name is fine. Right, Pikachu?" But to her surprise, the yellow mouse didn't turn to look at her. "Pikachu, why are you ignoring me?" Again, no response, and suddenly Rose realized something, and swallowed her pride. "Hey, Maple."

Instantly, the pikachu turned and squeaked happily at her, jumping into Rose's arms and looking up at her happily. At this, Rose groaned. "Great, now I guess you are stuck with the nickname 'Maple' and won't respond to any other name, huh?" Rose sighed, walking over to her bed and sitting down, placing Maple the pikachu on her lap. Maple's blue eyes met Rose's own green ones, and suddenly, Rose smiled a little, petting Maple on her head. "You know... it is actually a really good name..."

* * *

 **So, context is needed, I believe.**

 **"But BloodWingd, Love Balls only work effectively if they are used on a pokemon that is the same species as the pokemon you are battling, just opposite gender. Rockruff isn't the same species as Maple."  
**

 **I am aware of this, but I used to believe that it was just gender that the Love Ball needed to be effective. Personally, I feel like this is how the Love Ball should have been coded from the beginning, and personally I feel like if pokemon existed for real, that would be the Love Balls main design. The Love Ball seems, I hate to say this, useless otherwise, cause if you want to breed, most people go with Ditto, or a different species for Egg Moves.**

 **"But that's not how the designers intended it!"**

 **Well, then pretend it was x1 effectiveness and Rose got lucky. Maple was weak anyway, so...**

 **On a different note, I apologize if it takes me awhile to get Chapter 5 out. School is throwing many, many projects and tests our way for the final month, so most of my time will be going towards that.**


	5. The Grand Trial

**Alright guys, I am sorry this chapter took me forever to write. I had a severe case of writers block with this chapter, as I did not know how to even begin it. I knew exactly what I wanted to happen in it, but not how to begin it. I finally settled on Wes and Rose training, and I am very pleased with how it turned out.**

 **Special thanks to both Umbruhon and pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 4, and a big thank you to The King of Emerald for Beta Reading this story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"And that makes five practice matches that I've won so far," Rose sighed, slight irritation clear in her voice. "Now are we going to make that six, or are you going to listen to me for once."

Wes growled, leaning down with some medication in hand. Nayru weakly groaned at him as he began applying the medication, but he paid no attention to her, his eyes locked angrily on Rose. "Cut me some slack! I've been getting better each time, haven't I?"

"Actually, if anything, you've been getting worse," Rose stated, glaring. "How many times do I have to tell you, your mistake is that you aren't anticipating my moves. You aren't forming a strategy in your head on how to defeat me, right Pikachu?" Maple didn't reply to this, forcing a groan out of Rose. "Right, Maple?" Maple nodded finally, squeaking in happiness at her trainer.

"Ugh, again with that strategy talk," Wes muttered, rolling his eyes. "I've told you before, battles aren't all math and books, you need to rely on your gut."

"And I have told you, again and again," Rose shouted back. "You can't just go into a Pokemon Battle with guns blazing. You need to have some reason behind each and every move you make, otherwise you might as well just be throwing stones at a Snorlax, while going around it would be more effective."

"And what if you can't think of a logical way to win," Wes smirked, thinking he finally nailed her on something. "If I recall, Ms. Strategy was gonna give up on our first trial because she thought it was mathematically impossible to win, right?"

Rose blushed heavily at this. "I... I... Okay fine, I admit it, you were right to rely on your gut there." Rose frowned, thinking before speaking next. "But while I've admitted that battles aren't all about math and strategy, and you need to rely on your gut as well, you've failed to do the same. You keep throwing gasoline on the issue, while the strategy in right in front of you, just use water."

"What do you mean?" Wes asked, confused, standing up.

"I mean that I've learned from you, so..." Rose blushed again. "It would be nice if you could learn from me too..."

Wes grinned at this, placing his hands behind his head. "Nah. Glad you learned a thing or two from me, but I'm afraid you've got nothing to teach me. I'm not good at all that book stuff anyway, besides, my battling style is fine, I just need to boost up the power of my team with some training is all."

At this, Rose literally began trembling before yelling loudly in frustration. "You are literally the most insufferable, stubborn person I've ever met! I hope that whatever happens in tomorrow's battle, that I can finally be rid of this partnership of ours for good afterwards!" Rose huffed at that, storming off in a fit of rage, leaving Wes looking after her with a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"Gee, no need to be rude," Wes muttered, puffing his cheeks up a bit. "I mean, seriously, what did I do?"

"Bragged about being the best when all she was trying to do was help," Nayru muttered, getting to her feet. "Come on, master, I mean she does have a point."

"And what point would that be?" Wes rounded on Nayru, glaring a little.

"Well, think about it," Nayru stated, looking up at her trainer. "How much better has Rose gotten at battling since your first trial?"

"I admit that she's improved a little, but so have I, if you haven't noticed," Wes pointed out.

"That's not my point," Nayru sighed, clearly irritated by her master's inability to understand what she was trying to say. "This has nothing to do with your battling, master. Rose's skill has improved so much since she began re-modeling her battle style, that Jason-" Wes growled at the name for a second, forcing Nayru to stop talking before she continued. " _The jackass_ said that Rose had improved so much that she could even contend with some of the teachers. I don't recall him saying the same to you."

"That's because that asshole is biased against me while she's the teacher's pet," Wes huffed in denial.

"Well, would it really hurt to try and adapt some of her battle style into your own?" Nayru asked politely. "I mean, think about it, how much better do you think we would be in battles if we just planned out ahead of time?"

Wes frowned, but began mulling over Nayru's words. "It's not like we don't ever use strategy... I mean, we used Growl on that Totem Pokemon to weaken it. That's strategy."

"Strategy that your gut told you to do," Nayru pointed out. "Master, I'm a psychic type, and I know damn well that you were just shouting the first attack that came to your mind without thinking through what the attack would do. You've always done that."

Wes sighed, sitting on the ground before laying back and looking at the sky. It was true that Rose's battling had improved a lot since that trial, and it was true, as much as he hated to admit it, that his own skill had only improved a little bit. Most of his new strength had come from his Pokemon getting stronger, not any change in battle tactics on his part.

"Hey, Nayru?"

"What is it?" the psychic fairy type asked, looking over at her master.

Wes sat up and began getting to his feet, "Let's go to the library."

"Alright, sounds g- Wait, we're going WHERE!?"

XxXxXxX

"Um, master?" Nayru sweat dropped, staring at her trainer. "While I am both shocked and happy that you are actually trying to think of a plan to use in the battle tomorrow... don't you think you are overdoing it a little..."

Wes was sitting at one of the many tables in the library, a sheet of paper in front of him and a pencil in his hand with the eraser almost completely gone. Scribbles were everywhere on the sheet of paper, making it almost impossible to understand what exactly was happening on the sheet itself. Bits of eraser were covering the table, and eraser smudges had joined the nonsense of lines on the paper as well.

"Look, it's fool proof," Wes smirked, looking at the nonsense on the paper. "I think I know exactly how me and Rose will beat Kahuna Hala!"

"Wow, well if you know your strategy, lay it on me," Nayru smirked, impressed.

Wes paled at this, looking at the sheet of paper in confusion, "Uh... well..."

"Apparently I was asking for too much," Nayru muttered, staring at her master in disbelief.

"Cut me some slack!" Wes shot at her, groaning and shoving the sheet of paper aside, resting his chin on the table and placing his hands on his head to soothe his throbbing headache. "I've never come up with a legit strategy before... like I told Rose before, I mostly just go with what my gut tells me to do."

"Alright, let's take it slow," Nayru sighed, pulling out another sheet of paper from Wes's backpack, walking over and placing it in front of him, levitating the pencil and beginning to write. "Hala is a Fighting Type Specialist, which means that we already have the upper hand. Fighting pokemon are weak to both fairy and psychic, so me and Faye have the upper hand."

"Yeah," Wes nodded. "Okay, so um..."

"So since we got type advantage, we already hold a good shot at winning," Nayru pointed out. "However, we need to be conscious of one important detail."

"And that would be?" Wes mumbled in confusion.

"Both Faye and I are primarily special attackers," Nayru said, writing it down. "Now, think, master."

Wes stared at the paper for the longest time, thinking on what it all could mean, before finally, something seemed to click in his head. "Oh! What if he has items like Special Defense up, or uses Light Screen!?"

Nayru grinned widely in pride at that, "There you go! That's using your head master!"

Wes, however, frowned. "But the issue is, we don't have enough time to catch and train up a pokemon that specializes in attacking physically."

Nayru frowned as well, "Yeah, we'll just have to make our strategy around using special attack boosting items, or teaching me a move that specializes in increasing my special attack."

Wes stared at Nayru for a minute, realizing something in that minute. "A new move..."

"Pardon?" Nayru asked, looking confused at him.

"Since the school has all sorts of TMs, we can just teach you a move that'll render Special Defense boosts powerless!" Wes grinned.

"Yeah, like I said, maybe something like Calm Mind to boost my power," Nayru stated.

Wes, however, shook his head. "Nah, I remember Professor Kukui mentioning another move that I think you can learn that'll help more."

Nayru looked confused, "I don't remember that."

Wes chucked a little, pride practically radiating off him. "Just trust me."

XxXxXxX

Morning came swiftly on Alola, and soon it was mid-afternoon, where all of the students of the school began gathering in Iki Town, knowing full well that Wes and Rose were scheduled to fight the Kahuna Hala for a shot at clearing the Grand Trial of Melemele Island. Hala was standing up on a wooden stage, a smirk of confidence beaming off his face. Rose looked less sure of herself, standing on the ground next to Wes, who didn't seem worried at all, which only made her more irritated.

"Let me guess," Rose muttered in anger. "You are going to tell me not to bother with my strategy as you will handle everything with your power?"

Wes looked at her confused, but somewhat hurt as well, "I didn't say that... what is your strategy anyway?"

"Not like you would follow it anyway," Rose shot back at him, turning away with her arms crossed.

Nayru leaned forward on Wes's shoulder, whispering into his ear, "What will we do, master?"

"As long as you and I follow our plan, we'll be fine," Wes whispered back. "I just hope Rose doesn't lose both her allowed Pokemon." Meanwhile, watching them from behind was Jason and Kukui, both of them looking at the two trial goers with different looks.

"Oh, this isn't good," Kukui muttered nervously. "They really need to Bulk Up and get it together."

"I don't see the issue," Jason muttered. "Wes will lose both his Pokemon cause he's a moron, and Rose will single handedly defeat the Kahuna, earning herself the stamp while Wes fails. She'll move on, and Wes will be forced to stay behind. Honestly, it would be better that way, Rose learned all she could from Wes in my opinion, so it's only right."

Kukui was about to respond, but before he could Hala and stepped forward. "Alright, let's get this trail underway. Today, we have two trial goers who have already cleared the Verdant Cavern trial, and are about to face me to see if they are worthy of continuing on to Akala Island to continue their challenge. I am proud to welcome Wes and Rose up on stage with me!" Both trainers stepped forward at that point, looking at Hala nervously. He turned to them, grinning broadly. "Wes and Rose, are you ready? You will both be allowed two Pokemon against me in double battle style, while I will use four. First side to have all four Pokemon faint loses... however, if even one of you loses both your Pokemon, you will surrender the win. If one of you gets knocked out, but the other one wins, that person will continue onto Akala Island alone, and the other will stay behind to battle me again later on." Hala smirked at that. "If both of you wanna win together, you must battle as one. Do you need time to prepare with one another?"

Wes was about to speak, but Rose instantly spoke up. "No, we're fine."

Hala looked confused at that. "Are you sure? Don't you want to know what your partner is planning?"

"I already know what he is going to do," Rose said angrily. "I've got my plan in mind, so there is no need."

Hala shrugged, "Alright then, we'll begin now."

"Hey, give me a chance, why don't ya?" Wes growled as Hala stepped over to the trainer box on his side of the field. Rose responded only by glaring at Wes before turning back to Hala.

"Alright, send out your pokemon," Hala declared.

"Go, Faye!" Wes called, throwing the level ball into the air. Faye emerged from a flash of white light, cheering as she flew around.

"Go, Maple!" Rose commanded, pointing. Maple squeaked, jumping from her shoulder onto the field.

"And for my Pokemon, I will pick Mankey and Makuhita!" Hala called, throwing two Ultra Balls into the air. From the first popped out a Pokemon with a round body covered in whitish, shaggy fur, with a pig snout like nose, red eyes and triangular ears with brown insides. From the second ball emerged a bulky, yellow Pokemon with black markings on its chest that extended to its neck. It had round hands resembling black boxing gloves, yellow feet with two visible toes, red ring-shaped markings on its cheeks, and slit-like eyes.

"Rotom, analyze!" Rose ordered.

"On it," Rotom shouted. "Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokemon, zzt. Extremely quick to anger. It could be docile one moment then thrashing away the next instant." Rotom then turned slightly to look at Makuhita. "Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. Makuhita has a tireless spirit - it will never give up hope. It eats a lot of food, gets plenty of sleep, and it trains very rigorously. By living that way, this Pokémon packs its body with energy."

"Sure you don't wanna strategize?" Wes asked.

"I'm fine," Rose replied rudely. "Maple, Reflect!"

"Don't let her get that off!" Hala shouted. "Makuhita, Fake Out!"

Before Maple could make her move, Makuhita charged forward, slapping both of Maple's cheeks at the same time. Unable to complete her move, Maple growled in frustration.

"Flinching..." Rose growled in frustration. "Why didn't I see that coming?"

"Allow me," Wes stated. "Faye, Reflect!"

Faye twirled around in the air, before what looked like a barrier of energy surrounded both her and Maple. Rose blinked in surprise, before turning back to Wes. "Wait, you taught Faye Reflect?"

"Duh, we're fighting against fighting type Pokemon, which normally specialize in physical attacks," Wes muttered, before looking at Rose irritated. "Might as well double our defense, right?"

 _I don't believe it_ , Rose thought to herself. _He actually planned ahead? No, probably more of his dumb 'gut feeling' stuff, that or he's copying me._

"Oh, ho," Kukui smirked, watching in interest. "Seems like Wes finally did some homework."

"One move doesn't account for an entire plan," Jason pointed out. "Wes might have just used that move because Rose tried to. We'll have to see how he plans to finish this off... with 'plan' being used loosely."

"I'm impressed, seems like you two did coordinate," Hala grinned. "But let's see you fight against this. Mankey, Focus Energy!" Mankey roared out, flashing red and glaring at both Faye and Maple.

"Focus Energy doubles the chances of him landing a critical hit," Rose muttered. "Since criticals ignore Reflect, I need to-"

"WE," Wes shot at her. "We need to take Mankey down first. Faye, Moonblast!"

Faye flew up, charging a pink orb of energy before sending it flying towards Mankey, however the pig monkey was ready, and leapt out of the way of the attack before it landed.

"Oh no you don't!" Rose shouted. "Maple, Thunder Shock!" Maple charged up some electricity before sending it flying towards Mankey, who got zapped but still seemed able to continue.

"Makuhita, Arm Trust!" Hala commanded. "Mankey, Karate Chop!" Both Makuhita and Mankey charged forward, first Makuhita hit Maple with the side of his arm, then Mankey hit Faye with the side of his hand. Maple and Faye both seemed injured after this, but still were able to continue.

"I need to use my strongest move," Rose growled. "Maple, Surf!"

"Hey, hey!" Wes shouted.

Faye's eyes went wide, soon obstructed by the giant tidal wave that Maple created, sweeping Faye, Mankey and Makuhita under it. Faye emerged dizzy and injured, while Makey was knocked out, and Makuhita was seriously injured.

"What's the big idea?" Wes shouted at Rose. "You should warn me before you pull something like that!"

"Faye survived, didn't she?" Rose shouted back. "Besides, she quad-resists fighting attacks, so she can take more hits before she's knocked out."

"Sure, but pull another stunt like that and I'll almost think you are trying to knock me out on purpose," Wes muttered angrily.

"I did it to damage them both," Rose shot back. "And like I said, she's fine!"

"Oh, boy," Jaun sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Those two are at it again."

Lillie nodded, watching the battle, "But haven't you noticed, they are completely different. Rose seems too angry to focus on actual strategy, while Wes actually is thinking everything through."

"They managed one knock out," Kukui sighed. "But at this rate, they are gonna end up hurting each other's Pokemon more then Hala's."

"Not bad... but you two aren't going to win like this." Hala announced, recalling Mankey and pulling out another Ultra Ball. "Go, Crabrawler!" Out of the ball emerged a purple shelled crab with blue and yellow accents, and two long, yellow antennae above his eyes.

"Crabrawler, the Boxing Pokemon," Rotomdex analyzed. "It punches so much, its pincers often come off from overuse, but they grow back quickly. While guarding its weak points with its pincers, it looks for an opening and unleashes punches, zzt."

"Now it's time to show you the true meaning of these crystals you are earning," Hala suddenly said, holding up his left arm, where Wes noticed a white bracelet with a brown colored crystal attached to it. Upon touching the crystal, he began doing a series of poses, which created a yellow glow that surrounded both him and Crabrawler.

"W-what is happening?" Rose asked, fear in her voice.

"This is a Z-Move," Hala stated. "All-Out Pummeling!" Crabrawler charged right at Maple, his claws glowing with energy. But right away, before Maple got hit, Faye jumped in the way at the shout of Wes, taking blow after blow from Crabrawler before finally falling to the ground, unable to move.

"Faye!" Wes shouted, running forward and gently picking up his Pokemon. "I don't understand, with both her fairy and bug type, that should've barely done a thing.

"Z-Moves are more powerful then ordinary moves," Hala stated. "Even with your reflect up and your resistances, Faye was just too weak to survive that. Maybe if you two were actually working together, that would've have happened." Hala then turned to Rose. "Your inability to work with your partner caused his Pokemon to faint. If you didn't notice, even after your pokemon attacked her, she was willing to sacrifice herself for Maple to continue the battle."

Rose seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing, looking down at Wes cradling Faye, with both Maple and Nayru looking at her in worry. Wes pulled out Faye's level ball, recalling Faye and stepping back to his spot.

"Wes, I'm sorry, I-" Rose sighed. "I was so angry with you, that I just thought about winning this battle on my own. In that stead, I guess I was so angry that I didn't care even I even hurt your Pokemon."

Wes looked at her for a moment before sighing. "Knock it off with that mushy stuff!"

"But-" Rose gasped.

"I said don't," Wes snapped, but then he smirked at her. "Save it for after we win this battle! Go, Nayru!"

"Are you sure you should continue battling?" Rose asked.

"My gut is telling me yes," Wes smirked, turning to her again. "And my brain is telling me that Nayru has a good chance of winning, and my strategy is prime for action. You in?"

Rose looked at Wes mesmerized before finally smirking back. "I'm in! You deal with Makuhita, I got Crabrawler. I'll make him pay for knocking out Faye! Maple, Thunder Shock!" Maple charged up some electricity before shocking Crabrawler, but this didn't do too much to the crab pokmon, who remained ready for battle.

"Crabrawler, use Power-Up Punch on Maple," Hala commanded. Crabrawler charged and punched Maple right in the gut, injuring her too much to continue.

"Maple!" Rose shouted, rushing forward towards her.

"Nayru, use Confusion on Makuhita!" Wes commanded. Nayru glowed with blue energy, which surrounded Makuhita and sent him flying before he landed on the ground, unable to battle.

"They're two for two now," Jaun stated.

"Let's hope this continues," Lillie muttered.

"Not bad," Hala said, recalling his Makuhita. "But now for my last pokemon, go Machop!" A humanoid, gray skinned pokemon emerged from the ultra ball, with three brown ridges on top of its head, and large red eyes.

"Rotom?" Rose asked.

"Machop, the Superpower Pokemon," Rotom stated. "It continually undertakes strenuous training to master all forms of martial arts. Its strength lets it easily hoist a sumo wrestler onto its shoulders."

"Thanks, Rotom," Rose muttered. "Machop seems strong."

"I remember facing those in Hoenn before," Wes commented. "Easy pickings for Nayru."

"Let's hope, that Crabrawler is dangerous," Rose stated, taking out her great ball. "Go, Bagon!" Bagon emerged, clicking her jaw.

"If you think my team is going to fall so easily, you are mistaken," Hala declared. "I declare that I am using two items. I'm using two X. Special Defenses, one on each of on my Pokemon."

"Oh, no," Rose gasped, stunned. "This is bad, he just boost his team's special defense... I don't think I can take them both on!"

"You don't have to," Wes calmly replied.

"How can you be so calm?" Rose asked in panic. "Your stupid gut felling cannot be seriously telling you this is ok! Crabrawler has more attack power because of Power-Up Punch, and those items just increased his special defense on both his Pokemon two fold! Bagon can't take them both on, they got good natural defense as it is."

"Once again, I must remind you that this isn't over," Wes smirked. "This time, not because of my gut, but because my strategy is about to take effect!"

"Huh?" literally everyone asked in confusion, especially Jason and Rose.

"Allow me to show you, by attacking Crabrawler," Wes declared. "Nayru, use Psyshock!" Nayru's eyes began to glow again, but this time, what looked like a mass of blue and purple energy, firing it at Crabrawler, who took the hit, causing a miniature explosion. Crabrawler stumbled from the blast, looking severely injured.

"How did it do that much damage?" Rose asked in shock. "That was a special move, wasn't it?"

"It was," Wes grinned confidently. "A special move that inflicts physical damage!"

"I can't believe it," Jason blinked in surprise. "He's using his freaking head!"

"That certainly is a Psyshock, huh?" Kukui grinned, prompting a massive groan from Jason and every other student.

"Psyshock is not only more powerful then Confusion, but the physical damage done by it passes though those items you used," Wes boldly stated. "Now, if you used Light Screen, I'd be a bit more screwed. For some reason, the way Light Screen works decreases Special Attack done by me, so..."

"Machop, Light Screen!" Hala commanded.

"Oh, Arceus," Wes muttered.

"It's alright, I got this," Rose stated. "Bagon, Brick Break!" Bagon charged forward and with a chop, shattered the Light Screen and did damage to Crabrawler, who fainted from the battle. "Now, Wes!"

"Uh, right," Wes stumbled. "Nayru, Psyshock!" Nayru nodded, sending more energy orbs at Machop, who tried to avoid them but couldn't, fainting from the blast.

"Alright, we win!" Wes cheered with Rose, both trainers hugging each other in happiness. The hug lasted for a few moments, before Rose suddenly realized what she was doing and shoved Wes away, blushing a bit as he tumbled to the ground.

"Um, g-good job," Rose mumbled.

"You didn't need to shove me away," Wes glared up at her.

"Well, you two really managed to pull through in the end, huh?" Hala declared, walking forward with a smile. "Now I can proudly say that... hey, Nayru is glowing."

"Huh?" Wes looked over, and sure enough Nayru was being surrounded by a massive blue light.

"Master! I feel weird," Nayru shouted. "What is happening to me? I feel strange... why am I growing bigger!?" Nayru suddenly began to grow, inside of the light, before it vanished. Nayru now looked like she was wearing a white tutu, with three ruffles on each hip. Beneath the ruffles, she had skinny blue legs with pointed feet, and thin white arms. Her blue hair now revealed her orange eyes, reaching down to her shoulders. Her orange horn was now also different, looking like hair pins on each side of her head.

"Nayru just evolved into Kirlia," Rotomdex announced. "Analyzing... Kirlia, the Emotion Pokemon. It is said that a Kirlia that is exposed to the positive emotions of its Trainer grows beautiful. This Pokémon controls psychokinetic powers with its highly developed brain."

"So, I evolved?" Nayru asked, looking over herself. "Sweet!"

"Well, that isn't the only prize you are getting today," Hala announced. "Here you go, your prize. Accept this Z-Crystal!" Both Wes and Rose held out their hands, taking from Hala a crystal that looked the same as the one he used in the battle.

"So, these crystals we are winning allow us to use those Z-Moves?" Wes asked.

"Correct," Hala nodded. "But you two still need the final piece of the puzzle to unleash Z-Power, and it just so happens the second prize for this was... a Z-Ring!" He then held out a white band similar to his own, which Rose and Wes took, strapping it on their wrists. "A mysterious armband that can draw out the power that lies deep within Pokémon. We kahunas can make them by refining stones."

"That's pretty cool," Rose muttered. "So we can use Normal and Fighting Z-Moves now..."

"Yes, but your Pokemon must also know a normal or fighting move before doing so," Hala explained. "Additionally, you can only use a Z-Move once per battle. The ring only recharges outside of battle."

"That bites," Wes frowned. "Still, it's pretty awesome."

"I can't wait to see your progress," Hala grinned. "To the Melemele Island Trial completion for both Wes and Rose!" Everyone around them cheered, clapping excitedly. Wes and Rose both sheepishly grinned, embarrassed by the praise they were getting.

"Well, Jason, what says you?" Kukui asked, turning to his assistant. "Still think Wes was a bad pick?"

"He cleared this island... and that has definitely piqued my interests," Jason said, a true grin forming on his face since Wes met him. "He has a long way to go... but now I think this journey is going to be a lot more interesting."


	6. Type: Null

**First of all, I must apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. I had SEVERE writers block on how to handle this chapter and it's contents, as well as the reveal of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon throwing me off. I actually almost stopped writing this story until November when they came out, but I kinda realized that I could just incorporate elements from them into this story as I go on, just like the anime kinda does.**

 **Thanks to The King of Emerald as always for beta reading my story, and thank you to Umbruhon and pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 5. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Wes:

Nayru the Kirlia (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Rose:

Bagon (Great Ball)

Popplio (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

* * *

"Akala Island?"

Wes and Rose both turned to look at one another in confusion before turning back to Professor Kukui, who only nodded in response. "Correct, after all since you two had Extreme Speed in the first trials," he grinned wider at his move pun, which was only met with groans from both Wes and Rose. "You are moving on to the second batch of trials, which will take place on the second island."

"What about the class?" Wes asked, earning a few funny looks from his other students, who didn't expect Wes to actually care about attending class. "If me and Rose are on Akala Island, then how will we continue our schooling?"

"I'm glad you asked," Kukui said. "But the answer is really simple. This Pokemon School has not one, but four locations spread across each of the four islands in Alola. We will just simply be moving class to that island within the coming week. Being Friday, you all have time before you need to be at the new school location on Akala Island on Monday, so if you want to spend the weekend here before catching a boat to the island, feel free! Just make sure you are ready to go for class on Monday."

"The location of the school is in Heahea City, meaning that all students will have to do is arrive by boat before being at the school's location," Jason explained, pointing at the island location on a map of the Alola region. "All students are getting free tickets for the boat from here to Akala Island, but no where else. I'll be heading on the first boat out of here this afternoon, so anyone who wants to come to the island right away just meet me at the docks in an hour."

"As for Wes and Rose, you two must be at the island today in order to meet with the Island Kahuna," Kukui stated, gathering up his papers. "Be at the docks in an hour, and Jason will take you there personally, along with any other student who wants to go today to the island. That's all for today, see you all in Heahea City on Monday!"

"I heard a lot about Heahea City," Rose explained, turning to Wes. "Apparently it was founded a long time ago by trainers from both Kanto and Johto, and it is tied with Malie City as the second largest city in all of Alola."

"What's the largest city?" Wes asked.

"That would be Hau'oli City, the very city we're in," Jaun explained, walking up with Lillie. "Since Hau'oli City is essentially the tourist hotspot, they had to make it large to accommodate all the people that would visit Alola year round."

"Heahea does have some hotels and other accommodations, but isn't as popular as Hau'oli when it comes to vacations," Lillie stated. "It should be quieter when we are there so we can study easier as well."

"Which is convent for us, since we will be there for a while," Juan sighed, sitting down on an empty desk.

"Hey, don't get too comfortable when we are there," Wes grinned. "Rose and I will clear through that island just like we did through this one!"

"Don't get carried away," Jaun warned him. "Yes, you two did clear this island very easily, but that was also because of how little there was to do for the challenge on this island. Kukui has an entire lesson plan for the second island, which means that even if you two clear the island quickly, we're going to be stuck there until the lessons are done, which is about a month and a half long."

"That bites," Wes sighed, leaning back.

"Well, it makes sense," Lillie explained. "Akala is the largest of the three islands, and it has three trials instead of the one here. Additionally, a lot of the island is going to be used for field trips for our lessons, including a lesson about Pokemon Eggs!"

"Well that should be interesting," Rose said with a smile, looking at Wes. "Wouldn't it be great to see how Pokemon Breed?"

"Yea, they bone and out pops an egg," Wes muttered, earning himself some odd looks from his peers, especially Nayru, Maple and Shiron, who looked offended.

"Anyway..." Juan cleared his throat, crossing his arms. "I was thinking of accompanying you two to the island. I would like to explore Heahea before we start classes up again."

"I would like to come as well," Lillie said with a grin.

"Um," someone suddenly said, and all four of them turned to see Chloe standing there, shifting her body as she blushed, looking at them awkwardly. "W-would you mind if I came with you guys?"

"Of course you can," Rose said, though her glance at Chloe seemed to have some mild irritation behind it.

"Thank you," Chloe bowed with a smile, missing Rose scowling a little at her.

"Anyway, we should get going," Juan said, sensing the tension. "Jason said our stuff will be packed and transported to the island by the staff, so we don't need to worry about packing."

XxXxXxX

"Is this boat really safe?" Lillie shouted, having to talk over the roar of the engine and the rushing waves that hit the side of an old platoon boat, with various dents, and patched holes on the surface of the boat.

"Yeah, it's safe," Jason shouted back at her, both of his hands on the wheel. "As long as you hold onto something."

"That's not really giving me much confidence!" Lillie sighed, her knuckles already white from hanging onto the rails. Shiron wasn't fairing much better, his front paws and legs wrapped around Lillie's leg.

"You'll be fine," Jason replied with a annoyed tone. "If you fall off, I'll send out Namira to catch you."

"What kind of island are we going to anyway?" Wes asked, looking over his shoulder at Jaun.

"Akala is the largest of the four major islands in the Alola region," Jaun explained. "They got a ranch for breeding Pokemon, two major cities, a volcano and a jungle, as well as a place housing a Battle Royal facility."

"Battle Royal?" Wes asked.

"A Battle Royal involves four Trainers all battling each other at the same time," Rose answered.  
"The format is based on the battles that the four guardian deities of Alola take part in to decide who is the strongest of them all."

"In a Battle Royal, each Trainer brings up to three Pokémon into the ring, using one Pokémon at a time," Jaun explained farther. "At the end of a turn, if a Trainer has no Pokémon left, the Battle Royal ends. All participants are scored based on the number of Pokémon they knocked out, and the number of Pokémon they have remaining."

"That sounds awesome!" Wes grinned with excitement. "I want to try that first!"

Jason shook his head. "Cool your jets. The Battle Royal Dome is on the other side of the island from where we will be staying, and even when you guys go on your field trip, none of you will be allowed to compete. The Royal won't allow it."

"The Royal, as in a person?" Chloe asked, looking confused.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, the current champion of all Battle Royals. A masked figure who made a name for himself with a powerful Rockruff, but no body knows who he is." At that, however, they all noticed him roll his eyes, as if it was obvious who this masked man really was.

"That bites," Wes sighed, looking out to sea. "I was looking forward to winning there, right Nayru?"

"We'd need another Pokemon first, master," Nayru pointed out. "After all, they said three Pokemon at a time, and we only have me and Faye."

"I'm sure there will be some great Pokemon on Akala Island for you to catch," Rose stated, pointing. "Look, there it is!"

Sure enough, in the distance, Wes could see the island getting closer and closer, with the city of Heahea overshadowing everything due to them heading right towards the port. The boat made a less then smooth landing due to age and inability to brake, earning it another dent, but none the less they had all arrived safely, with Jason tying off the boat before disembarking the ship.

"Alright, normally I would watch over you kids to make sure none of you get into any real trouble," Jason sighed, stretching.

"You're only a year older then us!" Wes snapped, glaring a little.

"You aren't coming with us?" Lillie asked.

"Nope," Jason said with a hand wave. "I need to go run a few errands for the school and the Principal, but before I do that, I was told to give Rose and Wes these." He held out two pagers, which were green in color.

"What are these?" Wes asked, taking the device and looking at it with confusion.

"Ride Pagers," Jason yawned, as if he was in a hurry to get going. "Here in Alola, the native Pokémon lend the natives their strength and let us ride about on them. Right now, all you can call are Tauros, but as you venture on through your trials, you're going to need the help of more Pokemon, which you can call from various stations across the region. Speaking of..." Jason pulled out his own device and pressed a button on it. A few seconds later, a sharpedo emerged with a saddle on his back, looking at Jason.

"Were are you off to anyway?" Wes asked.

"None of your Ribombee-wax," Jason stated, getting on Sharpedo's back, sitting firmly in the saddle and grabbing reigns.

"Alright, Principal, whatever you say with your Pokemon puns and all," Wes said. The glare that he got from Jason sent chills down his spine, causing him to step back a bit and hold his hands up. "Relax, I was joking."

"You better have been," Jason growled a little, snapping the reigns and taking off on the back of the shark pokemon.

"Glad to see he still hates me," Wes sighed.

"Hates is a strong word," Rose stated. "Strongly dislikes, that's more accurate."

"Still," Wes sighed, turning and heading into town, with the others following after him. "It's not like I want his approval, but it would be nice if he could at least treat me like I'm not the scum of the earth."

"I think you are fine just the way you are, Wes," Chloe muttered, blushing a little.

"Did you say something?" Wes asked, turning to her in confusion, having not heard that she said.

"A-ah! N-no I didn't!" Chloe stammered in embarrassment, her blush getting bigger. Rose seemed to have heard with Chloe said, though, and gave her an odd look, though the redhead quickly looked confused shortly after. Why was Chloe, and her recent interactions with Wes, making her so mad? She decided to brush it off for now, though, snapping back into reality.

"We probably should head towards the school before anything," Jaun said, pointing towards a large building that resembled the school on Melemele. "Check in and make sure our rooms are ready for us."

"Alright, lets go!" Wes shouted, running into the road, before suddenly a grey blur rushed into him, sending him flying a few feet away and causing him to fall flat onto his face.

"Wes!" both Rose and Chloe shouted, rushing towards his side.

"Are you ok!?" Lillie asked in a panic.

"Did someone get the number of that truck?" Wes's voice came from the concrete in a muffle, his face planted into the ground.

"That was no truck," Jaun mumbled, looking to where the blur headed. "That looked more like a creature to me."

"Rotom, did you get anything?" Rose asked.

"I couldn't get a clear picture, zzt," Rotom-dex responded, hovering a bit.

"I am picking up some thought patterns," Nayru stated, staring off where the blur vanished. "They're... so different from anything I've ever experienced before. Almost... not human or Pokemon in nature."

"Let's go investigate!" Wes shouted, suddenly bolting up and getting to his feet, picking Nayru up and placing her on his shoulder. "I want to see what that was that ran into me!"

"Wait, Wes!" Rose shouted, racing after him as he took off towards where Nayru was facing, followed closely by Maple, Chloe, Jaun, Lillie and Shiron. Wes continued running, his eyes focused on the road ahead, before rounding the corner and heading out of the city, his friends shouting behind him to slow down, but he could barely hear them.

"Whatever it is, is up in the clearing ahead," Nayru warned, causing Wes to slow down and part the bushes, but when he did, he gasped in shock and almost recoiled back. Rose finally caught up to him, and looked like she was about to go off on him again before she too let out a gasp of shock.

Standing in the middle of a meadow was a creature unlike anything that had ever seen before. The first thing Wes noticed was short fur covering it's back body and hind legs, except the front legs were insect like in appearance, green in color with spikes going along the back. The rear legs had thick, purple scales on the flanks, shins and top of the feet. A fish-like tail was present on the creature, consisting of two dark blue spines with a light blue fin stretched between them, the top spine has a line of short, gray spikes. A mane of grey fur hung down, covering the shoulders of chest of the beast. What was most noticeable about the creature, however, was how the head was enclosed in a brown helmet with green markings, especially around the hinge of the helmet, which had green X shaped markings. The helmet has a large jaw piece that wraps around the front with large, round hinges on the side. Small gray eyes were pering out of two eye slits in the helmet, which looked angry and scared. Around the base of the helmet was a collar with four protruding vanes that are tipped with a three-way spike.

"What is that thing?" Jaun asked, finally arriving with Lillie and Chloe.

"It's huge!" Lillie gasped, falling back a bit.

"Rotom, what is that?" Rose asked.

"I wish I knew, zzt," the floating device said, looking puzzled, the screen turning into three red question marks. "But I am just as confused as you are!"

"Is it even a Pokemon?" Chloe asked, peering at the creature from behind Wes.

"I'll find out," Wes suddenly said, walking between the bushes and approaching the creature.

"Wes, wait!" Rose hissed. "It's too dangerous!"

Wes ignored her, and continued to approach the creature with caution, who finally noticed him and locked its eyes on him, growling a little with a mechanical sounding noise. "Take it easy," Wes whispered, holding his hands up to show the creature that he would not hurt it. "I won't hurt you... Nayru, are you sensing anything?"

"It's thought patterns are very complex, but I think I got something," Nayru whispered. "Apparently this creature is named 'Type: Null'."

"Null?" Wes asked, continuing his approach, which seemed to aggravate the creature. His front legs suddenly began hitting the ground, as grunts of anger escaped from the helmet. Wes stopped his approach, keeping his hands in the air for a moment, before carefully continuing to walk, just within arms reach. A sudden yell caused Rose and the others to scream in panic, coming out from behind the bushes, Poke Balls at the ready, but they need not be alarmed. Wes was softly stroking the side of the creature, petting his long grey mane. Null was looking at him was interest, but he seemed much calmer now.

"I can't read anything else," Nayru muttered. "But this is a Pokemon, and it's name is Type: Null."

"Null?" Rose asked, walking over. "Why would-"

But her approach caused Null to roar again, stoping on the ground in rage. Rose quickly backed up, as Wes placed both of his hands on Null. "It's ok! Rose is a friend of mine, she won't hurt you... the others are friends as well, Maple, Chloe, Lillie, Shiron and Jaun. We want to help you." Null looked at Wes for a moment, his right front leg raised as if he was about to attack, but he put it back down, huffing a little as Wes continued to pet him.

"That was scary," Rose sighed, looking in fear at Null. "Rotom, are you sure there is no information on this Pokemon?"

"I am scanning all of my data-banks, but nothing is appearing," Rotom stated. "I will make an entry for this mysterious Pokemon... adding Type: Null into my records."

"Why Type: Null though?" Wes asked. "If anything, he should be named something cool... like Zero! That sounds badass!"

"Wait, this Pokemon is marked," Rotom suddenly said, looking over Null, who was watching Rotom with caution.

"Marked?" Wes asked.

"It means that a PokeBall is registered to him," Rose explained. "Nayru is marked to her Friend Ball, despite never going in, as well. I guess Null has a trainer already."

"If that is the case, it might be best to just leave Null alone," Lillie stated, almost relieved to get away from the creature. "Still, why do I get the feeling that I know Null from somewhere?"

"I can't just leave him though," Wes protested, looking at Null as he pet the creature's mane. "Zero might be attacked out here."

"Is it really wise to nickname another trainer's Pokemon?" Jaun asked.

"Regardless of that, I am sure Null can take care of itself," Rose sighed.

"I'm going to head back into the city," Jaun sighed, turning around and walking off. "Who knows, maybe Null's trainer is back there."

"I'll come with you," Lillie shouted, racing after him.

"Come on, Wes," Chloe said, starting to walk over, but Null hissed at her which made her recoil. "L-let's head back."

"Alright..." Wes sighed, taking his hand off of Null. "Be careful when searching for your trainer, Zero." But he didn't get more then ten steps away before suddenly he was nudged from behind. He turned around to see Null was following after him, looking at him with interest.

"Great, now you done it," Rose groaned. "Null likes you."

"That's not a bad thing, is it?" Wes asked, petting Null once again.

"It is if Null has a trainer already," Rose sighed. "Well, now what? We got some strange Pokemon that is going to be following you around, and I get the feeling that we can't just waltz into town with a Pokemon like that!"

"You two go on ahead then," Wes suggested. "I'll look around Route 4 and 5, maybe I can find Zero's trainer."

"No way, I am not leaving you alone," Rose bluntly stated, earning a glare from Chloe.

"I think Wes is perfectly fine taking care of himself and Zero," Chloe said in defense.

"Oh, don't you go calling it Zero now too," Rose snapped, glaring at Chloe. "That's probably the reason Null likes him in the first place!"

"Wes is a very likable person," Chloe shouted back. "It's not his fault!"

"But Null doesn't belong to him!" Rose screamed at her.

"Exactly," a voice suddenly said. Wes and the others rounded around sharply, looking over to see a kid standing there, wearing a black outfit entirely with several rips and tears on it. He had blonde hair and piercing green eyes, almost resembling Lillie in a way. "So do me a favor... step away from Null, or else."

"You're Null's trainer?" Rose asked.

"Not exactly, but I need Null to come with me," the kid said, stepping forward and pulling out a PokeBall. "Comply... or else I will use force."

"If you aren't Zero's trainer, then why should I had him over to you?" Wes asked.

Wes calling Type: Null 'Zero' seemed to make the kid angry, as he suddenly glared at Wes fiercly, putting his left hand over his right eye. "How dare you! That Pokemon is not yours to nickname and do what you please with! Arghhh! I'll show you how angry you make me! Battle me, I won't take no for an answer!" He then threw a PokeBall into the air, which popped out a Zubat.

"Zubat, huh?" Wes thought for a moment before pulling out his level ball. "Go, Faye!" Faye emerged from her ball, zipping through the air and facing off against the blue bat hovering a few yards away from her.

"Zubat, Wing Attack!" the kid ordered. Zubat obeyed instantly, flying forward and hitting Faye with his wings, which did massive damage to her, though she flew back into the air ready for more.

"Faye, use Moonblast!" Wes ordered. Faye obeyed, sending a large pink orb of energy at Zubat, but the attack barely seemed to do anything, and without even a word from the punk kid, only a point, Zubat flew at Faye again and knocked her out with another Wing Attack.

"Wes, use your head!" Rose shouted at him. "Zubat is a Poison and Flying type, both types are bad for Faye!"

"Don't lecture me," Wes snapped at her, recalling Faye into her ball. "Nayru, Psyshock!"

"On it," Nayru shouted, leaping down from Wes's shoulder and creating an bunch of purple and blue orbs of energy, which slammed into Zubat, knocking it out instantly.

"Not bad," the punk kid said, recalling Zubat. "But now face my full might! Go, Null!" Out from a Premier Ball he threw emerged another Type: Null, which roared in anger and fury at Nayru.

"Wait, you have one too?" Wes gasped in shock.

"Null, use Tackle!" the punk kid ordered. Null nodded, charging forward and slamming into Nayru, who yelled at she was sent flying back. Wes shouted at her, running up to where she landed, only to see her knocked out on the ground. The punk kid huffed, looking at him. "Do you see why I need Null to come with me now? He is too powerful and dangerous to be left in the hands of an amateur such as yourself. Now comply with my demands, or I will use force."

"You already won the battle!" Chloe shouted at him. "You don't have to hurt him!"

"I do if he doesn't listen to me!" the punk kid shouted, but suddenly he stopped, his eyes going wide. The Null that Wes was calling Zero suddenly got in front of him, staring at the kid with a defiant expression. The two Null's roared at one another, communicating to one another.

"What..." Wes asked, confused.

"T-the Null we found is telling the other Null that you mean no harm," Nayru muttered weakly, looking at them both.

The punk kid looked shocked, until his Type: Null turned to him, looking at him with a gaze that seemed to calm him down. "Forgive me, I acted rash."

"What is going on anyway?" Rose asked, walking over to Wes and the Type: Null dubbed Zero. "Who are you?"

"My name... is Gladion," the punk kid said. "And until that Type: Null comes back with me, I am afraid I cannot go anywhere."

"Actually, I am afraid you will be coming with me for some questioning," a familiar voice suddenly said. Jason emerged from the bushes, looking from Wes, Rose and Chloe, to the two Type: Null, to Gladion himself. "I have SEVERAL questions for you, kid."

"Jason, I thought you were going away on business," Rose stated, looking confused at him.

"Turns out, my business was to find out what mysterious Pokemon escaped captivity from a certain location that I cannot discuss with you kids," Jason explained. "And well, here I am, looking at a mysterious Pokemon that seems to have escaped captivity."

Gladion hissed at Jason. "Sorry, but I cannot go with you. I need to get this Type: Null back before it does any more harm."

"You can trust Wes with taking care of that creature," Jason replied, looking over at Wes. "It seems to like him anyway, and would rather go with him than you."

 _Wow, Jason is being a dick to someone else for once,_ Wes thought.

"That isn't an option, but if you continue to insist, then I will use force," Gladion said, his Null running up to face Jason. "I win, you leave. You win, I will go with you."

"Uh, dude," Wes piped up. "That's not a good idea, that dude is the Kalos Champion."

Gladion ignored Wes, prompting a sigh from Jason. "Fine... go, Cedric." Out from a standard PokeBall emerged a tall, owl looking Pokemon with piercing red eyes, a brown feathery body and a dark green hood covering his face and shoulders.

"Now this Pokemon I can get you info on," Rotom said, springing to life. "Decidueye, the Arrow Quill Pokémon and the final evolved form of Rowlet. It fires arrow quills from its wings with such precision, they can pierce a pebble at distances over a hundred yards. Although basically cool and cautious, when it's caught by surprise, it's seized by panic."

"Null, use Pursuit," Gladion ordered. Null leapt his his opponent, charging rapidly. Cedric the Decidueye, however, did nothing, taking the hit but not getting hurt by it at all, only staring with a bored expression on his face.

"Leaf Blade," Jason cooly ordered. It was over in an instant, with Cedric's wing glowing green and slashing the air as if it was a sword. Null stood there for a moment before falling over, knocked out from the force of the attack. Gladion's eyes widened, but he just sighed, recalling Null into it's ball. Jason recalled Cedric into his ball as well, eyeing Gladion as he did. "We had a deal."

"Right," Gladion sighed, turning to Wes and pulling out a Luxury Ball from his pocket, tossing it to Wes. "Here, that ball is the one that contains that Null... but I swear to you, misuse Null and I won't hesitate to take it from you by force."

"I'm not going to abuse Zero if that is what you mean," Wes shouted at him, holding the Luxury Ball up. "And next time we meet, I'll be the one winning our battle!"

Gladion huffed, walking off with Jason following after him. They got quite a distance away before Jason put his hand on Gladion's shoulder to stop him. "This is far enough." They froze for a moment before Gladion turned to look at Jason, who eyed him with suspicion. "Now, tell me everything you know about Aether Paradise and the Aether Foundation."

"What makes you think that they are the ones behind Null?" Gladion asked in defiance.

Jason stared at him for a moment before speaking. "I think my instincts are right about my guess... son of Lusamine, President of the Aether Foundation, who has currently gone missing and sent the staff into a panic. Need I say more?"

Gladion flinched, before sighing. "Fine... I'll tell you everything I know."


	7. Brooklet Hill

**Holy karp, did this take forever to write. I knew exactly what I wanted to write, but not how exactly to put the words on paper... that actually seems to be most of my problem when it comes to writers block though, maybe I need to start collaborating with friends more often, hell I only got this chapter done because my friend and fellow Fanfic writer** **The King of Emerald and I just decided to be in a Discord VC as we wrote, while sharing the documents so we can read one another's work and proof read it.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Kirlia (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

 **Rose:**

Bagon (Great Ball)

Popplio (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

* * *

"That's all I can tell you."

Jason frowned, putting his hand on his head, and ruffled a bit of the hair on the back of his scalp. "So let me summarize what you have just told me. That Pokemon is known as Type: Null, originally classified as Type: Full, and was an attempt to replicate Arceus, the literal F-ING GOD, of all Pokemon. Meanwhile, your mother, the President of the company, is attempting to open Ultra Wormholes to obtain one of those creatures, thus the creation of Null was done to combat the creatures should the need arise."

"Basically," Gladion stated, crossing his arms.

"Well, that sounds fun," Jason sarcastically stated, sighing. "But what you didn't tell me is what exactly you are doing with one of the three Null that were created."

"I want to restore Null's power," Gladion stated. "And at the same time, I want to figure out what my mother is up to, and if possible put a stop to her."

"Makes sense," Jason commented. "However, I can't do much in my current placement."

"You're joking," Gladion hissed, anger filling him again. "Then why even make me tell you all this if you aren't going to lift a damn finger to-"

"Cool it, Hot Topic", Jason said with a slightly commanding tone, forcing Gladion silent (though he did get a glare in response to the jab at his fashion). "While I would like to do something, I don't have enough evidence or motive, and even then, I'm not the Alola Champion. I'm the Kalos Champion, and I'm way out of my jurisdiction here. I can only help the Kahunas and Professor Kukui; they're the ones that need this info. I'm just helping them collect it."

"Then it looks like I am doing this on my own," Gladion muttered in annoyance, turning away.

"Well, you got Wes," Jason suggested. "He can probably give you a bit of a hand."

"You serious?" Gladion hissed in response. "That kid doesn't even know a type advantage if it hit him in the ass."

"... point taken", Jason said. "And now here's mine; he was somehow able to worm his way into that other Type: Null's heart without even trying."

Gladion huffed at that, walking away. "True, but I bet you that kid is right now staring at that ball thinking 'What did I get myself into?'"

XxXxXxX

Wes sat at the table for what seemed like an eternity, staring into the black ball with the golden band. Inside the ball contained a Pokemon he was very unfamiliar with, and the thought of owning such a powerful creature was actually beginning to scare him. A single Tackle from one of them defeated his strongest Pokemon, and now he held that same power inside of the tiny black ball, his to command at any point he wanted. What was to say that this same power wouldn't betray him later on?

"What did I get myself into?" Wes muttered.

"Well, welcome back to the land of reality, Wes," Rose huffed, shifting a little in his seat. "Now are you going to listen to me for once?"

"Cut him some slack," Chloe snapped. "I mean, what would you do in the same situation?"

"Leave another trainer's Pokemon alone and not nickname it," Rose bluntly stated, shutting Chloe up. "What's there to say that Zero will even listen to you in battle?"

Before Chloe could respond, Wes sighed. "You're right. This Pokemon is so powerful and dangerous from what I've seen, and now... he's mine."

"Should we tell Jaun and Lillie about this?" Chloe asked. Now that Wes was even admitting that he was in over his head, worry filled her voice and showed in her eyes.

"No," Wes stated. "I don't want them knowing." And at that, Wes shrunk the ball and placed it onto his belt, just as the two in question started to approach the table with a taller woman that Wes had never seen before. She was ebony skinned with a light pink shirt on, and hot pink shorts. A necklace lined with gems draped over her chest, with various bracelets on her arms and legs, with a strap going around her upper left thigh.

"We couldn't find Null's trainer," Jaun admitted. "Even the Kahuna didn't know."

"We're sorry," Lillie apologized.

"It's fine, we... managed to find Null's trainer in the end," Rose lied, instantly changing the subject once she spotted the newcommer. "So you're Akala Island's Kahuna?"

The woman smiled. "That's me! My name is Olivia and I am Akala Island's Kahuna."

"Then you will be our final challenge on this island," Wes said, in a very un-Wes like voice that got the attention of his four friends. "So, can we start on the first trial right away or do we need to wait?"

His impatience was there, but the tone of voice he was speaking in was lacking. It was very unconfident, and before Rose could even express her concern about it, Olivia was speaking again. "Eager to go, huh? Professor Kukui stated that you were like this... well, you'd be happy to know that Lana is still at Brooklet Hill and will take on your challenge."

"Brooklet Hill isn't that far from here," Jaun stated, pointing. "We need to pass the location where we found Null on Route 4, but after that we can go around the ranch to Route 5. The place is just past that."

"Then let's go," Wes grinned, standing up and placing Nayru on his shoulder. "Beating this trial right away might even earn us some bonus points in the book of that asshole."

 _There he is,_ Rose thought, following him as he power walked towards Route 4. The walk took quite awhile, before they finally saw the sign to Route 5, however Brooklet Hill was just beyond that, but to their surprise they found a person that they recognized standing there.

"Yo," Jason waved them over.

"Why are you here?" Rose asked, confused. "Didn't you have something important to take care of?"

"Yeah dude, you rode away from the island only a coupe of hours ago?" Jaun stated.

Immediately recognizing that Wes, Rose and Chloe didn't inform Jaun and Lillie about Gladion, he shrugged. "I can take care of my business in two hours, thank you very much. Besides, I had a feeling Wes would jump into the next trial right away if given the chance, and since Brooklet Hill was so close to Heahea City that I decided to check here just in case you happened to show up... and what do you know, I was right."

Wes was about to speak, before a short girl stepped forward, spotting them. "Oh, what do we have here?" Wes turned to see a blue haired girl wearing a white shirt and baggy, blue pants standing there, eying them with sea blue eyes very curiously. She stepped forward again, eyeing Wes in particular, her blue sandals nearly stepping on his own shoes. Since she was so short, Wes could clearly see a yellow headband in her hair.

"Trial goers, Lana," Jason stated, pointing to Wes and then Rose. "Those two are taking the trial, the others are here to observe."

"I see," Lana said, before grinning excitedly. "Alright then, let's begin the Brooklet Hill trail. See that splashing over there?"

Wes followed to where her finger was pointing to see a bunch of waves being created. "Yeah?"

"I wouldn't be surprised to find a fearsome Pokémon is the one causing it all," Lana stated, turning back to them. "So, brave trial-goers, I would like to ask you to investigate that splashing there and find out what exactly is causing it. I won't ask you to swim out there, of course. I have a lovely gift for you instead. May I see your ride pagers?"

"Sure," Rose said, holding out her green ride pager while Wes held out his. Lana took them both and, with a few button presses in each, handed them back. Wes looked at his device to see he had two choices now, that he could not only call Tauros, but Lapras as well.

"Of course, I only have one Lapras in his whole lake," Lana admitted. "So since there are two of you, you need to share a single Lapras."

"Alright then," Wes grinned, pressing his pager. Before long, a lone Lapras appeared on the shore line, looking at them. "Come on, Rose, let's go check it out."

"Alright, alright, don't be so pushy," Rose sighed, climbing onto the Lapras as well. They rose off on the back of the Transport Pokemon and before long, reached the splashing, where a Pokemon that Wes hadn't seen before popped out. The Pokemon had large, light blue eyes with irises that resemble puddles of water and dark blue eyelids. The head and tail of the Pokemon were white, and there was a line of white teardrop-shapes on each side of its body with the teardrop nearest the head being slightly larger. The top half of the creature's body was dark blue and had a short, rounded dorsal fin

"Rotom, scan that Pokemon," Rose commanded.

"On it, zzt," Rotom-dex crackled. "Wishiwashi, the Small Fry Pokemon. It's awfully weak and notably tasty, so everyone is always out to get it. As it happens, anyone trying to bully it receives a painful lesson."

"A painful lesson?" Wes asked. "Please, this Pokemon doesn't look so tough. Nayru, Confusion!"

"Alright, but I hate picking on something so weak," Nayru sighed, her eyes glowing brightly. Wishiwashi screamed in agony before falling back into the water, instantly knocked out. "See? That was no challenge at all."

"Well done," Lana shouted from the shore. Suddenly, more ripples appeared in the water, before suddenly vanishing. "Oh my. Whatever is kicking up such lovely splashes must be rather big... A strapping young Swimmer, perhaps? Maybe we'll be lucky enough to find a spry young Swimmer floundering in the water and in need of saving!"

 _Is she serious?_ Everyone thought, excluding Jason, who was leaning against a tree nearby just watching.

"There should be some fishing poles on the Lapras!" Lana shouted towards them. "Try and fish up whatever is causing that splashing!"

"Alright, whatever," Wes sighed, grabbing one of the two poles.

"I bet you we are going to fish up the totem Pokemon," Rose muttered, grabbing the other rod. "Be sure to be careful."

"Please, so far this challenge is a joke," Wes sighed, casting the line into the water. "What will I fish up? A Totem Magikarp?"

Jason flinched at that, causing Jaun, Chloe and Lillie to look over at him in confusion. Jaun was the one to speak up. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just... remembering trying to catch a certain Pokemon in Kalos and all I fished up were Magikarp... and Basculin." Jason replied, looking serious again.

For the next ten minutes, they watched as Wes and Rose continuously cast their lines into the water, catching nothing but tiny Wishiwashi and beating them to a pulp in one shot. Rose had sent out Bagon to help Nayru, but the help was barely needed, and usually one of the two would be standing there looking slightly bored before they were ordered to attack. However, Wes fished up a single Wishiwashi that seemed to look very unhappy, before Nayru blasted it back into the water. Spotting this, Jaun suddenly seemed to realize something.

"Hey... didn't that PokeDex entry state that anyone bullying Wishiwashi would receive a painful lesson?"

"Yup," Lana replied.

"So, you're making them bully Wishiwashi on purpose?" Jaun asked.

"Yup," Lana replied.

"And that's the-"

"Yup,"

"You didn't even let me finish," Jaun replied annoyed, but suddenly his eyes widened as a huge shadow appeared under the Lapras. Before he could even scream out in shock, Rose suddenly shouted out as she was jerked forward. Wes reacted immediately, grabbing her around the waist and holding her on the Lapras as she pulled the rod back as hard as she could. All of the sudden, a monster jumped from the lake, Rose's hook in his mouth. The creature resembled a large fish with glowing blue spots, its body divided into four bands that each becomes a slightly darker shade of blue. A ring of bright blue glowing spots lined the front edge of the two middle bands. The centers of its eyes were fish shaped, glowing white in color.

"What is that thing!?" Wes shouted, flabbergasted, instinctively holding Rose tighter against him.

"Rotom?" Rose asked, her voice shaking.

"Wishiwashi," Rotom replied.

"There is no way in Arceus that is a Wishiwashi!" Wes shouted at the creature.

"Correction, this is Wishiwashi's School Form, zzt," Rotom replied. "Entry: At their appearance, even Gyarados will flee. When they team up to use Water Gun, its power exceeds that of Hydro Pump."

"Oh that's comforting!" Wes shouted again, as the giant creature landed in the water.

"So are you two going to fight the Totem Pokemon, or are you going to stand there spooning all day?" Jason shouted, prompting Rose to immediately realize what was happening, and shove Wes off her into the watery abyss below. At the same time, both Chloe and Lillie immediately slapped his arms with their hands. "Oww! I should give you detention for that!"

"That was too far!" Chloe shouted, blushing madly.

"And what else would you call it," Jason replied with a sigh. "Doesn't matter, let's see how they fare."

"That's the Totem Pokemon?" Wes asked, swimming up onto the Lapras before climbing back onto it. "Welp, we lost."

"Hey, we're standing and we still got Pokemon, don't we?" Rose asked, in very similar words Wes used on her in their first trial. Wes looked at her surprised, as Rose grinned, pulling out her Poke Ball. "Go, Popplio! Use Disarming Voice!"

Popplio inhaled, and let out a scream. The sound waves, normally invisible to the human eye, had pink sparkles that made them visible. They slammed into Wishiwashi, causing the creature to roar a bit before sending out a Water Gun which sent Popplio flying. The sea lion Pokemon fell into the water, but swam to the surface, ready to battle.

"Use my own words against me, why don't you?" Wes mumbled, but he was grinning all the same, pulling out his Level Ball. "Go, Faye! Use Moonblast!"

The cutiefly popped out, charging up a pink orb of light before sending it flying into Wishiwashi. The large Pokemon was powerful, the attack barely seeming to damage it. Wishiwashi roared again. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and rain began to fall.

"Uh oh," Jaun looked up, pulling an umbrella out of nowhere, Lillie and Chloe instantly darting under it as well to avoid getting wet. "Rain Dance, which will make the Wishwashi's water attack stronger."

"That won't be a problem for Popplio since it resists water, right?" Lillie asked.

"Normally, yes," Chloe answered "But with that Wishiwashi's high attack power, a rain boosted Water Gun might just do enough."

"Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Rose commanded.

"Faye, use Silver Wind!" Wes shouted.

Faye flew into the air and flapped her wings rapidly, creating silver powder that traveled along powerful wind currents. At the same time, Popplio surrounded itself with water, flying into Wishiwashi. Both attacks seemed to do a bit more damage, but suddenly Wishiwashi unleashed another Water Gun, which barely grazed Popplio, but slammed into Faye, sending her flying into the water.

"Faye, come back!" Wes shouted, recalling the knocked out cutiefly into her ball.

"Popplio, can you keep going?" Rose asked. Although the sea lion Pokemon nodded, she still winced in pain. "You need rest, return for now!"

"Welp, that's one down, and one injured," Jason muttered. "Rose won't use her Rockruff unless she has no other choice, so let's see what she uses next."

"Maple, go!" Rose commanded. Maple nodded and leapt down into the water, somehow creating a surf board from nowhere.

"How does she even do that?" Wes asked, before shaking it off. "Nevermind... Nayru, get on that surf board with Maple!"

"Are you sure that's a-" Nayru asked.

"I'm not using Zero unless I have no choice," Wes stated. "Get on there."

"Alright, fine," Nayru sighed, levitating down and landing on the surf board, as the two jet off to fight the Wishiwashi.

"Maple, Electro Ball!" Rose ordered.

"Nayru, Psyshock!" Wes commanded. Both Pokemon generated their attacks, with Maple creating an orb of lightning on her tail before flinging it towards the Wishiwashi, while Nayru created the orbs of purple and blue energy, sending them flying into the giant fish. The attacks commented, and suddenly the fish monster began looking like it was going to disperse, however it seemed to regain it's shape quickly, launching another attack that narrowly missed the surf board carrying the two Pokemon.

"Well, I guess Wishiwashi had to resort to eating the Sitrus Berry I supplied it," Lana commanded.

"How does a giant fish made up of several smaller fish EAT!?" Lillie shouted.

"Once more!" Wes and Rose both shouted. Maple and Nayru launched their attacks again, only this time Wishiwashi avoided damage by sinking into the water below. Suddenly, it resurfaced, flinging them off the surf board before launching another powerful Water Gun, which connected with Maple and sent her flying.

"Maple!" Rose shouted, pulling out the Love Ball. "Forgive me for this..." Maple was recalled into her ball with a sigh.

"Nayru!" Wes shouted, as she landed in the water.

"Popplio, save Nayru!" Rose commanded, throwing her Poke Ball. Popplio leapt out once again, diving into the water and pulling up Nayru, who coughed up some water before climbing onto Popplio's back.

"Nayru, if you are too weak to continue-" Wes started to say.

"Hell no, keep me in!" Nayru shouted, glaring at the fish. "I got this one."

"Then get ready, Nayru," Rose stated. "Popplio, Aqua Jet!"

Nayru drew in some breath, just before Popplio surrounded herself with water once again, charging into Wishiwashi. This time, the attack seemed to do a whole lot more damage, causing the Wishiwashi to stop schooling together, and leave a solo, small Wishiwashi with a yellow glow swimming there,

"Now, Nayru, Shadow Ball!" Wes ordered. Nayru formed a purple ball of energy in her hands, sending it forward and slamming into the small Wishiwashi. Due to not schooling anymore, the defense of the Pokemon was drastically reduced, and the attack was able to knock out the creature in a single blow.

"We did it!" Wes and Rose shouted, cheering.

"I knew they had it in them!" Lillie shouted as well, dancing with Chloe as the rain stopped falling.

"Way to go, guys," Jaun smirked, as the Lapras returned to shore.

"Hey, Popplio is glowing." Jason pointed out. It was true, the sea lion Pokemon was surrounded by light, and began growing in size. The glow stopped, as a new creature looked up at them, three ruffle-like growths around its body, white and pale blue in color. She had long ears, made up of three segments that lighten and increase in size towards the tip. She also had a long, conical snout with a white tip, a spherical pink nose, and large dark eyes with pinkish pupils.

"Allow me," Rotom stated. "Brionne, the Pop Star Pokémon. A skillful dancer, it creates a sequence of water balloons as it dances, and briskly bombards its enemies."

"I wasn't aware I would be getting a idol for a Pokemon," Rose sighed, but smiled all the same. "That's great Brionne!"

"Maybe it's time for a nickname," Wes suggested, earning himself a glare from Rose.

"Very well done, you two," Lana commented, walking up to them. "I must say that I find myself at an impasse here. All of the Wishiwashi that I so diligently trained up were defeated, and that is very frustrating, but of course I cannot let your completion of my trial go uncelebrated. You both were amazing, and your reward are two of these." She held out two, glowing blue crystals.

"The Waterium Z," Wes muttered, taking the gem.

"Come to think of it, we haven't done a single Z-Move yet," Rose stated, sweat dropping. "We might want to actually test these things out soon."

"That's not all I can offer you," Lana suddenly said, running over to a case nearby and bringing it back, opening it to reveal two fishing rods. "Here. These are Lana original handmade fishing rods."

"A-are you sure we can just have them?" Rose asked, taking one in shock.

"Of course," Lana said, smirking. "You two earned them, and plus since you cleared the trial you can fish here with no issues. But just do me a favor."

"W-what is it?" Wes's voice shook, as she was looking at him in a serious way.

"If you find a strapping man drowning here, call me immediately for the CPR!"

Everyone fell over at that.

XxXxXxX

"We got time before we need to go back," Wes stated, looking at the sky. "Want to test these rods out?"

"Sure," Rose said, sitting by the lake side. "Shame that we were the only ones that wanted to stay though. I bet Chloe and Lillie could've caught some new members themselves."

"Ah well," Wes sighed, casting his line and holding it with one hand, placing his chin in the other. "Their loss if we find something amazing."

"Doubt we're going to find anything THAT awesome," Rose sighed, casting her line out as well. "I mean, all we found during the trial were Wishiwashi, though I bet Lana did that on purpose."

"She did," Wes commented, reeling in his line, which had a old boot on the end of it. "...are you serious?"

Rose giggled, before she suddenly felt a pull on her own line. She tugged and spun the reel back, finding herself staring at a Pokemon on the end of her hook. It was a very shabby, old-looking fish Pokémon with a light brown body covered in dark, irregular spots. It had large, deep-set eyes and big, pink lips, the tail and pectoral fins dull blue and tattered in appearance. The dorsal fin is triangular with a hole in the middle.

"What... is this?" Rose asked, staring at the flopping creature in a mixture of confusion and disgust. "Rotom, analyze this for me." But to her surprise, Rotom didn't respond, the screen of the device static looking as if the device had crashed. Wes and Nayru were also non-responsive, staring wide eyed at the Pokemon in shock, their mouths gaping.

"Well, if it's that repulsive, I'll just throw it back," Rose sighed, taking the fish off and with a toss, letting it go. The Pokemon looked back at her in sorrow before landing, as if it was used to this treatment.

That is when hell broke lose.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Wes suddenly screamed, practically teleporting so his nose was touching Rose's.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Naryu shouted, her face also inches from Rose's.

"Uh, personal bubble?" Rose replied, clearly uncomfortable.

"Do you... have any idea... what you just let go!?" Wes panted, clearly trying to keep from shouting again.

"Uh... no?" Rose sheepishly replied, sweat dropping.

"That was a damn FEEBAS!" Wes shouted in anger. "A really, really, really, really, REALLY rare Pokemon!"

"Did you really have to say 'really' five times?"

"YES!" Wes shouted, grabbing his rod and casting the lure back into the water, Nayru sat down next to him, looking just as pissed.

"Uh, Rotom?" Rose asked, stepping back to give Wes some space, taking the floating PokeDex with her.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokemon," Rotom suddenly crackled back to life. "Feebas's fins are ragged and tattered from the start of its life. Because of its shoddy appearance, this Pokémon is largely ignored. It is capable of living in both the sea and in rivers, zzt."

"So can anyone tell me what I did wrong?" Rose asked.

"Wait, you let it go!?" Rotom suddenly gasped, recovering completely from his reboot.

"Yeah, you said it yourself, it's a shoddy Pokemon," Rose replied.

"And you're supposed to be the smart one," Wes commented, not even looking at her as he glared out at the water.

"W-what are you doing?" Rose asked.

"Finding that Feebas," Wes snarled. "I don't care HOW long it takes me."

"Alright, what happened?" came Jason's voice as he walked up the path. "I could hear you shouting from back at the- wait, why does Wes look so pissed off? Did he get slapped by a Wishiwashi or something?"

"Jason, thank Arceus," Rose sighed. "Talk to Wes. He's going crazy over a Pokemon that I let go."

Jason stared confused, before looking back at the water. It was then he remembered that Wes was from the Hoenn region, and that there were rare reports of Feebas in this particular lake. He walked over, looking at Wes. "She let a Feebas go, didn't she?"

Wes turned his head slowly to look Jason in the eye, and it was then that student and teacher seemed to form a psychic link. From Rose's point of view, it looked as though Wes just scowling at Jason and nothing more. As he turned his head back towards the water, she smirked confidently, knowing that kind of look would get Wes at least a detention or two. To her surprise, however, Jason only nodded, stood up, and began walking back towards her.

"Detention, Rose", he said, uttering the one phrase she never thought she'd ever hear from him.

"Wait, what!?" Rose shouted, looking flabbergasted as he walked past her towards the entrance to Brooklet Hill. "First Wes and Nayru, now you! What exactly did I do to piss everyone off by letting a damn fish go?"

"I'm going to guess that you let the Feebas go because you thought it was ugly and looked just as useful as a Magikarp", Jason pointed out. When Rose couldn't deny it, he shook his head, sighing. "And you're supposed to be the smart one... Back to the Pokecenter with you, and I need you to write an essay about 'How NOT to Judge a Book by its Cover'."

Rose opened her mouth to argue, but one look from Jason told her it was fruitless. Sighing, she grabbed her stuff and began following Jason back to the Pokemon Center, cursing Wes under her breath as she walked, not knowing what she did wrong and not knowing why everyone was so bent out of shape right now. She barely made it back onto Route 5 before she suddenly heard Wes's voice again. "You owe me a Prism Scale!"

* * *

 **In Rose's defense, she can't be expected to know EVERY Pokemon... she did make the fault of judging a book by it's cover, a lesson I feel like a lot of people need to learn.**


	8. The Hunt for a Prism Scale

**New job has been keeping me busy, but with the release of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon my brain would not keep Pokemon off it. Thus, I had enough inspiration to pump out a chapter of this story. You're welcome.**

 **Speaking of Ultra Sun/Moon, expect some elements from those games to begin appearing in this story. Not everything will change to reflect the new games, but certain things will begin happening in this story that reflects those games as well as the original Sun and Moon.**

 **Anyway, thanks to The King of Emerald for being my beta reader and letting me use his character, Jason! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Kirlia (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

 **Rose:**

Bagon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

* * *

"So much like how the pathetic Magikarp becomes the mighty Gyarados, we cannot judge any Pokemon by its outward appearance, and what is on the outside can hide something amazing on the inside," Jason read, putting the paper down and looking over at Rose, who was looking miserable. "Well, not your best work… but for an essay you wrote in five hours, it is very well written."

"Great," Rose muttered, irritation clear in her voice. "Now I know what Wes goes through with you."

No emotion seemed to come from the experienced trainer, as he just shook his head, putting her paper down on the desk in front of him. "This was supposed to be a lesson, not a punishment. I don't just give out punishments for no good reason, even when it comes to Wes. I hope you understand that."

Rose huffed at that. "Yeah, yeah."

"Speaking of Wes, it might be time I go out looking for him," Jason stated, looking at the Pokemon Center windows, the black of the night making it impossible to see outside, the sound of rain pounding on the glass. But he barely had stood up from his seat before suddenly the doors opened up. Standing there, making a puddle on the floor due to the damp nature of his clothes, was Wes. He was grinning widely, holding a Lure Ball in his hand. His eyes almost had a grey appearance to them before they suddenly shut, as he collapsed onto the floor. "Nevermind, looks like he's here. Rose, can you carry Nayru? I'll get Namira to carry Wes to his room."

"So now he gets the royal treatment?" Rose sighed, but she obeyed the request and helped carry Naryu to the room Wes was staying at in the Pokemon Center, while Namira carried Wes. After taking care of the two, Rose immediately went to her room, changed into her pajamas and ducked into bed, shutting her eyes and praying for sleep to come. It did not come easily, however, with the emotions stirring inside of her and keeping her awake, no matter how much she wanted to sleep. She did eventually get to sleep, but it only felt like seconds before she was awake again, the sun shining through her blinds. Yawning loudly, she got up and stretched, rubbing her eyes as she dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

Sleep had done nothing to calm her, as her emotions were still raging inside of her as she showered. Why was everyone on her case about letting the Feebas go? If she had made a mistake, she apologized for it, so she didn't understand why everyone was treating this minor incident like it was a big deal. It wasn't like she let a Shiny Pokemon go, Arceus forbid. Sighing to herself, she finished up her shower, and realizing that she had forgotten to grab clean clothes before walking into the bathroom, glaring in annoyance as she wrapped her towel around herself, covering her chest down to her upper thigh, before opening the bathroom door.

Only to be met with a grinning Wes.

"You owe me a Prism Scale," the trainer in question said, a stupid grin on his face.

"I tried to stop him," Nayru sheepishly said, peering out from behind Wes's head. "But he just kept walking with that stupid grin on his face."

Rose blinked, before her eyes narrowed as she fumed with anger. "I am naked underneath this towel. I need to change. So, get out of my room right now or I swear I will punch you in the throat so hard, you won't be able to talk for a month."

"I'd like to, but my excitement literally locked up my legs," Wes explained, still wearing the same grin.

"Alright then," Rose growled, tightening her fist.

"Hey, hey!" Nayru shouted, leaping forward and covering Wes's eyes beneath his glasses "Here."

Rose scowled, looking at Wes as she walked past him. The male made no attempt to look anywhere else expect where she was once standing, almost as if his excitement about catching the Feebas yesterday literally was locking him in place. "So why do I owe you a Prism Scale anyway? You're the one who wants one so bad!"

"You let the Feebas go," Wes bragged, his gaze (if Nayru wasn't covering his eyes of course) still fixated on where Rose once was, a smug grin on his face. "Therefore, you're the one who needs to help me evolve her."

"Help you evolve her?" Rose asked, pulling fresh clothes from her drawer, before glaring at Wes for a few moments, letting the towel drop and pulling on her clothes. "I don't think I owe you anything. You got your damn fish, so why don't you and Jason stop being assholes about this whole thing and leave me alone. I made a mistake, so what?"

"I will forgive you if you help me evolve my beautiful fish," Wes suggested. "Deal?"

Rose groaned in irritation, pulling on her shirt and making sure her skirt wasn't wrinkled. Nayru, seeing she was dressed fully, uncovered Wes' eyes, who instantly turned to face Rose again, the same grin still on his face. Rose walked up to him, still shooting him a nasty look before finally holding out her hand, which was instantly grabbed by Wes' own. "Deal, but where the hell am I even going to get a Prism Scale anyway?"

XxXxXxX

"And of all the places we could've looked, we had to come back here?"

Rose sighed as she kicked at rock into the lake, half glaring at Brooklet Hill as she continued walking around the water front. With her was Jason, who was a few steps behind her. "Hey, you need to find a Prism Scale, and this is where they might be. Just be thankful you aren't having to do this the old-fashioned way… not that I wouldn't even dream of putting you through."

"The old-fashioned way?" Rose asked, her anger subsiding as confusion filled her. "What would that be?"

"Well," Jason thought for a moment. "You would have to take the Feebas, and through a ton of effort, raise the self esteem of the Pokemon so that they felt beautiful." He looked over at Rose, who's anger was gone instantly, a look of shock and horror on her face. "I know. It was a nightmare. Most trainers took months, or even years, to evolve their Feebas."

"Okay, even the most extreme optimist would have a hard time doing that!" Rose stated, shaking her head.

"I know," Jason nodded in agreement. "Took my dad ages to evolve his Feebas."

Rose, suddenly remembering something, looked over at Jason. "You never told me what Feebas evolves into."

"And not to upset you again, but I believe it's better witnessed then told."

Seeing it was pointless to ask again, Rose just closed her mouth. She and Jason made their way into the deepest part of Brooklet Hill, where Maple on her surfboard as well as Brionne began searching the waters for the item in question. Meanwhile, Bagon and Rockruff were keeping Rose company on the mainland as she cast her line into the water.

"What is it look like anyway?" Rose asked, looking over at Jason. "You can at least tell me that, right?"

"It's pink in the center, with it slowly transitioning to blue as it extends outwards," Jason replied, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. "Judging by the fact that there are Feebas in this lake, there is bound to be at least one or two in this lake… somewhere."

"Surprised Wes didn't find one when he was fishing," Rose sighed, moving the line a bit as she sat there waiting. "I mean, they're at the bottom of the lake, you think he would've hooked one with all the fishing he did."

"Pretty sure he wasn't going for what was at the bottom of the lake, rather what was in the middle to the top," Jason pointed out. "Finding a Pokemon, in theory, should be easier than attempting to locate an item in water. Lucky for you, Brionne is in the water helping you."

But even with that help, Rose felt the minutes begin to creep by, her irritation returning as she sat there. She wanted to check the time, but was afraid of what she would see on the clock. Finally, she let out an irritated yell, throwing the fishing rod into the water. "How long does it take to find a freaking scale?"

"It's only been an hour," Jason pointed out from behind her, a look of slight amusement present on his face.

"Well, I give up!" Rose yelled in frustration. "Wes can just do it the old-fashioned way for all I care. Who knows, might teach him some manners, and I would pay anything to see that, even being constantly ridiculed for letting a rare Pokemon go would be a good price for that!"

Jason blinked, looking behind Rose. "You might want to turn around."

"Why, did a Prism Scale suddenly appear?" Rose asked sarcastically.

"Well, if it's being held by a Totem Pokemon then maybe," Jason replied, pointing.

"What," Rose bluntly said, turning to find herself facing a large, spider-like Pokémon with a bubble of water surrounding its head. Its six legs were yellow-green in color for two-thirds of their length, and the final portion was dark blue, each leg with an opaque bubble enveloping each joint. Its abdomen was dark blue with brown streaks on the top and bottom, with two additional horizontal streaks on the top.

"A Totem Araquanid," Jason growled.

"You're kidding me?" Rose hissed, backing up. "Why does Lana have a second Totem Pokemon in here?"

"I'm not sure," Jason replied, as he began reaching for his belt. "Let me-"

But before he could finish, Rose growled in anger. "Maple, Thunderbolt!" Maple obeyed, circling around the lake and jumping into the air, firing a bolt of lightning from her tiny body, hitting the spider Pokemon head on. Araquanid squirmed in pain before firing a Bubblebeam towards Maple, but gravity took hold as Maple began to fall, the bubbles sailing harmlessly over her head.

"Or you can take care of it," Jason commented. "Not like you're in an actual trail, but whatever."

"Brionne, Dazzling Gleam!" Rose ordered. The sea lion Pokemon obeyed, sending a wave of pink energy filled with hearts flying in the direction of the Totem Araquanid, which recoiled in pain from the attacks. The giant didn't take kindly to being attacked, however, and lunged forward, slamming into both Maple and Brionne, who were knocked back to shore from the attacks.

"Are you two ok?" Rose asked. They both nodded weakly, struggling to stand.

"You might want to just let me handle it," Jason stated.

"Nah, I got this," Rose commented, smirking suddenly. "Besides, I want to try something out. Maple, Thunderwave!" The mouse Pokemon jumped back into the air and let out a wave of static, which hit Araquanid and caused it to begin shuttering a little, paralyzed from the attack. Rose then held up her arm, revealing the white colored Normalium Z nestled into the white Z-Ring on her arm. "Maple and Brionne, fall back! Me and Bagon got this!"

Jason blinked, before smirking. "Right, Bagon knows Headbutt."

"Let's do this, Bagon!" Rose shouted, tapping the crystal, which began glowing and surrounding her with yellow energy. Rose began posing as the energy from her was transferred to Bagon, who began glowing with the strange aura. "Breakneck Blitz!"

Bagon roared out, charging forward instantly, a trail of dust kicked up in her wake. She slammed into the totem Araquanid so hard that it looked as though she had flattened it, Araquanid screaming out in fury as she took damage.

"Dragon Claw!" Rose shouted. Bagon leapt off the rocky cliffside surrounding the backside of the lake, flying towards Araquanid and slashing at it with her claws. Araquanid finally swayed and fell into the water, defeated.

"Well, you did it," Jason sighed, relaxing. "And here I thought I was going to have to step in."

Rose smiled for the first time that day, panting a little as she looked at Araquanid. "That… was some much needed stress relief."

"Good," Jason nodded, before something caught his eye. "And it seems like you are getting a prize for your little 'trial' just now."

Rose looked confused before she noticed that something had flown off Araquanid when it feel into the water. Sitting on the grass was a Prism Scale, glistening in the sunlight. Rose picked up the item, looking at it. "It's so pretty."

"Well, don't get attached to it," Jason commented. "Once Wes uses it on Feebas, it'll be gone forever… though the beauty of the scale won't be. Come on, let's go back before Wes comes looking for us."

XxXxXxX

"Here," Rose said, holding out the shiny scale. "You have NO idea the hell I went through to get that scale. Now you better keep your end of the deal and stop being an asshole to me for making a mistake."

"Not just yet," Wes said, taking out the Lure Ball. "You hold onto that, we need to trade first."

"You're joking!" Rose moaned loudly. "It's a trade with held item evolution?"

"Hey, there's a reason why I needed you to get the item after all," Wes commended, walking over to a green machine with two pipes coming out of it, one on either side. "It will be quick, just put a ball in here and we can start."

"You better just do it," Nayru commented, with Maple even nodding in agreement. "It won't end until you do."

"Ugh, alright, but there better not be more to this crap," Rose hissed, pulling out Rockruff's Fast Ball and placing it in the machine, just as Wes placed the Lure Ball. The two balls were sucked into the machine, a graphic of Feebas and Rockruff passing from one end to the other appeared on the screen, before the Lure Ball popped out on Rose's end, and the Fast Ball on Wes'.

"Now just send her out and had her the scale, then we can trade back," Wes stated, not even removing the Fast Ball from the machine.

"I know how it works," Rose hissed, releasing Feebas from her ball. She stared up at Rose with an odd expression, as Rose placed the scale underneath the fin of Feebas. The two seemed to lock eyes for a moment, with Rose raising an eyebrow. "Why is she looking at me like that?"

"Beats me," Wes shrugged, before beginning to bounce impatiently. "Come on! I want to see my beautiful new Pokemon!"

"Fine, fine!" Rose growled, recalling Feebas into her ball before placing it back onto the machine. In an instant, the trade began, with the Lure Ball going back to Wes and the Fast Ball going back to Rose. Once the Lure Ball was in Wes' hand again, he released Feebas, who stared at them for a moment before a blue glow of energy surrounded her. The fish body suddenly shot forth and grew into a serpentine appearance. The glow disappeared, the new Pokemon looking at them with red eyes, long, pinkish antennae above them. On top of her relatively small head was a straight spike, with three black dots running down either side of her neck, gill like in appearance. Her lower body was a patterning of blue and pink, diamond-shaped scales outlined with black, a tail that consisted of four large, blue fins with pink ovals in their centers at her end, each of the tail fins overlapping the next slightly, resembling a fan.

Rose stared at the new Pokemon for a few moments, her mouth hanging open. She finally found the words to speak, her voice coming out higher pitched then normal in awe. "I want one."

"Too bad, she's mine!" Wes commented proudly, hugging the creature, who nuzzled him with affection, looking at Rose with a smug look. "My beautiful Milotic!"

Rose blinked, before suddenly realizing something. "You are the Feebas I let go, aren't you?" Milotic nodded, and Rose almost fell over in shock. "Great…"

"Now we need to nickname you, it's tradition when it comes to my Pokemon," Wes thought for a moment before smiling. "You're as beautiful as cherry blossom trees turning pink in the spring, so how about I call you Sakura?"

"Poetic," Rose sighed, though the newly dubbed Sakura seemed to enjoy the name, as she flapped her tail fin in glee.

"Glad to see all's well that ends well over here," Jason commented, walking over and looking at Sakura. "And now we will stop mentioning it, Rose. Seems like you learned your lesson anyway judging by that look of envy in your eye. Now you understand the true value of a Feebas."

"I don't have a look of envy!" Rose denied, turning away and huffing, though a small smile was present on the face of the trainer, proud of what she had accomplished.

"Anyway, I came over here to tell you guys that tomorrow you maybe meeting in the classroom like normal, but tomorrow's class is going to be taking a field trip," Jason stated.

"Another trial?" Wes asked, with Rose flinching at the mere mention of trials.

"No," Jason bluntly said, with Rose sighing in relief. "It's a class event, not just for you two. Had you not taken Lana's trial yesterday, you would be doing it Tuesday, after this field trip."

"Is it that important of a trip?" Rose asked, noticing that Jason had said Tuesday would've been the trial date instead of Monday."

"It's vital information for any trainer that is serious about raising Pokemon, yes," Jason replied.

"So, where are we going?" Wes asked.

Jason gave a slight smile at this, "Paniola Ranch. Hope you aren't uncomfortable with the topic of breeding."


	9. The Ultra Recon Squad

**So yeah I've really been cranking out these Pokemon chapters, huh? Might be because I am in such a huge Pokemon mood lately. With leaks hinting at Sinnoh remakes coming soon, as well as Pokemon Switch rumors, I can't help but get excited. Pokemon is probably the fandom that I would say is my number one, with DragonBall Z falling in around number two, though I haven't really written a story for that one... yet.**

 **Anyway, big thanks to The King of Emerald for being my beta reader, as well as everyone who reads this story. This is where the tie ins to Ultra Sun and Moon get really obvious, so I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Kirlia (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

 **Rose:**

Bagon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

* * *

"So, why are we going to the Paniola Ranch anyway?"

Jason looked over his shoulder as he held onto the reigns of his Tauros. He wasn't wearing his ride gear, though he didn't really need to. His Tauros was leading a line of others, each one carrying the students of the school, and they were just walking along on a dirt road, with Paniola Town in the distance. "Well, it is important for trainers to learn about Pokemon Breeding. It's one of the best ways to get a Pokemon, as raising them from eggs not only increases your bond with the Pokemon in question, but many Pokemon only learn certain moves from breeding."

"Do you have an example?" Chole asked, holding her Bulbasaur with one arm.

"Take that Bulbasaur of yours," Jason pointed out. "One of the moves that can be taught to Bulbasaur by breeding is Giga Drain, a move that a Bulbasaur can learn if the father was from the Oddish line, or the Turtwig line. There are others that can pass it down, but you get the picture."

"So, the father has to be of a different species and know the move?" Lillie asked.

"Correct," Jason nodded. "The mother is the one that passes down species. It is unknown why it works this way, but I'm not a professional so don't ask me. Anyway, trainers will often breed for selective moves, traits, or strength. In fact, some trainers will state they breed to get stronger Pokemon, because it's rare for a strong Pokemon to just fall into your lap."

Wes flinched at that, pulling out the Luxury Ball that contained Zero, and sighing as he stared at the ball. Ever since receiving Zero, he had yet to use him in a battle, out of fear that he wouldn't be able to contain the power of the mysterious creature. Gladion seemed to be alright with controlling the beast, but Wes wasn't sure that he was worthy, especially since he was defeated by Gladion very quickly when they first met.

"Wes, pay attention!" Jason snapped.

"Sorry, sir," Wes muttered, putting away the Luxury Ball and staring ahead. Everyone was staring at him out of surprise. Wes never showed that much respect to Jason before, other then recognizing his strength as a champion. Even then, no one expected to hear Wes call Jason 'sir'.

"Alright then," Jason blinked, looking back to the road. "As I was saying, you will learn about the basics of breeding, how all Pokemon are separated into different breeding classifications known as 'egg groups', as well as how to care for an egg before it hatches. Ah, there he is."

The Tauros had lead them up to a trainer that looked to be only a year older then them, wearing a pair of farm clothes, a pair of overalls and a brown shirt, as well as a cowboy hat and boots. Standing with him was a Midday Lycanroc and a Larvitar, who looked well trained.

"Jamie, I'll just be observing," Jason told the boy, getting off his Tauros and shaking the hand of the boy. "Let me know if any of them are trouble, especially…" Jason paused, looking over his shoulder at Wes, though the boy still seemed off. "Well, just let me know if they are any issue."

"I'm sure they will be fine," Jamie smiled, walking up to the students, who were gathered in a group watching the cowboy looking kid. "My name is Jamie, and I am going to teach all of you the basics of Pokemon breeding, and my two assistances are Boulder the Lycanroc, and Tori the Larvitar."

"I take it your Pokemon were bred as well?" Jaun asked.

"You are very observant," Jamie nodded. "Yes, Boulder and Tori were eggs when I received them, selectively bred for moves. Boulder, for example, knows Fire Fang, a move he can only receive through breeding. Tori knows Iron Head, again only available on Larvitar's due to breeding. Now, allow me to explain egg groups. Each and every Pokemon can be classified into egg groups, which are Pokemon that they can breed with. For example, Lycanroc is in the 'field' egg group, which means that Lycanroc can breed with any Pokemon in the Field egg group, but no other Pokemon. Larvitar, on the other hand, is in the 'monster' egg group, which means that Larvitar can only breed with Pokemon in the monster egg group. Due to that, Lycanroc and Larvitar cannot breed with one another."

"Are there Pokemon that are in more then one egg group?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Jamie smiled. "Some Pokemon are in more then one egg group, and therefore can breed with Pokemon from both egg groups. An example is that Pikachu of yours." Maple's ear twitched at that, as she leapt on Rose's shoulder and squeaked. "Pikachu are in both the field and 'fairy' egg groups, and therefore can breed with Pokemon from both egg groups. Now, follow me to the main ranch, and we can show you the nursery."

"Do Pokemon pass down abilities as well?" Chole asked. "My Bulbasaur's ability is Chlorophyll, which I heard is very rare."

"Ah," Jamie's eyes sparkled at that. "Your Bulbasaur has what is known as a Hidden Ability, an exclusive special ability that Pokemon can have. Normally, all Bulbasaur have Overgrow, but if a Bulbasaur has Chlorophyll and has children, there is a chance, if they are Bulbasaur hatching from the eggs of course, that they can have their Hidden Ability. Another example is Tori, my Larvitar, who actually has the ability Sand Veil, which is her Hidden Ability."

They began walking as Jamie talked more about abilities and how they are passed down, with Jason just following after them, looking a bit bored, however he suddenly stopped and turned around, sensing that something was behind him. Standing there was a man and a woman, both of them wearing white jumpsuits with greenish blue armor around the ankles, biceps, hips and neck. They also had white helmets on, also with blue armored on the trim, ears and top of the head. The taller male had a strand of purple hair hanging down in front of his white and black visor, while the female had orange hair in a braid, also with a visor. Only the skin around their mouths were showing, and it was oddly light blue in color, as if they were just from a cartoon where they were cold.

"May I… help you?" Jason asked, slightly weirded out by their appearance.

"Greetings, Champion of Kalos Jason," the male greeted, waving a very robotic like version of the Alolan wave, which only did more to creep Jason out. "We are the Ultra Recon Squad, and we have come to your world in order to gather information, as well as protect you from a terror that is attempting to come to our world into yours."

"We need a powerful Alolan trainer to help us in our quest," the female stated, also waving a very robotic version of the Alolan wave. "Perhaps you can assist us in our quest?"

"Alright," Jason stated, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion. "So, what do I need to do to help you guys?"

"Correction," the male said. "You are only to guide us to a trainer in Alola that can aid us." Jason frowned at that, but the male continued. "We need assistance from one on this 'Island Trial Challenge' your world has."

"A trainer on that challenge is what we need," the female nodded. "As they have fought the Totem Pokemon, Pokemon laced with Ultra Wormhole energy. All we want to do is have a battle with them."

Jason shook his head, tempted to tell these two off about how he can fight the Totem Pokemon as well, but instead decided to play along. "Very well, but before I can introduce you to my students, I need your names."

"Of course," the male nodded. "My name is Dulse."

"And my name is Zossie."

 _Weird names,_ Jason thought to himself. _Still, they seem sincere enough._ "Alright, allow me to guide you to the kid, but don't get your hopes up too high." Jason turned and lead the two strangers into the ranch, where several of the students were grouped off and studying the various Pokemon at the nursery. Although he looked calm on the outside, Jason was racking his brain about which one he was going to introduce to the Ultra Recon Squad. Rose was very capable of handling herself in battle, and very smart when it came to not just Pokemon but other situations as well. On the other hand, Wes was more capable of going with the flow, and was more passionate about battling and aiding others, refusing to leave Zero's side when finding him due to not feeling it was the right thing to do.

Additionally, and although he hated to admit it, Wes was a lot better at adapting then Rose was.

"Wait here," he told the Ultra Recon Squad, who just did the robotic wave again as he walked over to where both Wes and Rose were, playing with a couple of baby Pichu. His approach alerted the two trainers, who looked up at him in confusion.

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Rose asked.

Jason opened his mouth to speak, but before his brain could fully comprehend what he was going to say, it was as if instant took over and he spoke without thinking. "I need to borrow Wes for a moment."

"Why me?" Wes asked, standing up.

 _I don'_ _t know, I spoke without thinking!_ Jason shouted inside of his head, though on the outside he just shook his head. "Just follow me, before I give you detention and make you write an essay."

"Lead the way," Wes sighed, shrugging. Rose watched after them as they headed off, looking confused, though she just turned back to the baby Pichu and continued playing with them. Jason and Wes rounded the corner onto the dirt road, where Dulse and Zossie waited.

"Who are they?" Wes asked, coming to a stop a few feet from them.

"Greetings, Island Challenge Trainer," Zossie said, both her and her partner doing the robotic wave again.

Wes and Nayru remined silent for a moment, before Wes suddenly cracked a smile. "Ok that looked kinda cool."

 _Seriously?_ Jason and Nayru both thought.

"We are here from a dimension known as Ultra Space," Dulse explained. "We are looking for someone strong in this region that we can depend on, and that is why we were hoping to have a battle with you, to see if you could help us on our quest."

Wes blinked, confused, though he grinned after a few moments. "Well, sure. I don't turn down a battle, after all. Besides, I need to get a W under my belt after losing to Gladion."

"Then I will be your opponent," Dulse said, pulling out a strange PokeBall that both Jason and Wes looked at in confusion. It was a dark blue ball with light blue designs on it, almost like a wormhole. It also had two, golden rings diagonally surrounding it, ending just before touching the button on the ball. "Go, Furfrou!"

"A Furfrou?" Wes asked, pulling out his black PokeDex as the white dog Pokemon emerged from the ball. "'There was an era when aristocrats would compete to see who could trim their Furfrou's fur into the most exquisite style.' Well, that tells me crap." Wes continued reading, and eventually found some information. "So, it has the Fur Coat ability, which doubles the Defense of the Pokemon."

"Quite an interesting device you have there," Zossie stated. "So you can look up Pokemon you have never encountered before and gather information on them."

Wes put the device away, looking at Nayru. "I'm counting on you."

"Right," Nayru nodded, walking forward and facing her opponent. "Though if I get slobbered on, you owe me."

 _A special attacker against Furfrou,_ Jason thought. _Guess he is beginning to think more in battle._

"Alright, Nayru use Dazzling Gleam!" Wes commanded.

"Take this!" Nayru shouted, letting out a shine of rainbow colored energy, which slammed into Furfrou, sending it flying. The dog Pokemon dug its nails into the ground to prevent itself from sliding back too much, regaining its footing.

"Bite!" Dulse commanded. Furfrou charged forward, and before Nayru could act, chomped down on her head, catching it within its mouth.

"Owwie!" Nayru shouted, trying to push Furfrou off. "Yup! Getting slobbered on! You owe me!"

"We'll talk about that after we beat them!" Wes shouted. "Use Confusion!" Nayru's eyes glowed with a bright blue, and Furfrou was surrounded by the same glow before being lifted off Nayru's head, and thrown a few feet. Furfrou struggled to get up, and looked dazzed, unable to stand up properly. "While it's confused, finish it with Dazzling Gleam!" Nayru nodded, her body once again letting out a energy of rainbow colors, which slammed into Furfrou and knocked it out.

"I win!" Nayru smirked, and Wes cheered behind her.

Dulse recalled the Furfrou into the ball. "Interesting, so this is how you battle in your world… this Pokemon is not familiar to me. Perhaps we make this a two on two, and I use something I am more familiar with."

"Make excuses if you want," Wes grinned. "But sure, I'm more then willing to give you another chance."

"Then come forth, my partner!" Dulse threw another of the strange balls, only this time a Pokemon that even caused Jason to gasp emerged from the ball. It had a purple body, with pink markings on the chest, face and tip of the head. It also had three, silver stingers, one emerging from the center of the head and two from the sides. Its tail swayed side to side, as it opened two, light blue eyes with no pupils, looking at Nayru with wonder, levitating in the air, leaving its short legs dangling.

"What is that?" Wes asked, pulling out his PokeDex, though the device had a question mark on the screen. "T-the PokeDex doesn't know!?"

"Wes, be careful!" Jason ordered, looking concerned. "That Pokemon isn't ordinary!"

"Well, if you're worried then this isn't good." Wes hissed, staring down his opponent.

Dulse pointed at Nayru. "Poipole, Sludge Bomb!"

"Nayru, dodge!" Wes ordered, but the order came too late. Venom shot from Poipole's center stinger and flew at Nayru so fast she barely had time to register that she was under attack. Nayru was sent flying, covered in venom, the damage she just took along with the bite damage from Furfrou knocking her out. "Nayru!" Wes shouted, running forward and cradling his partner. "Are you ok?"

Nayru opened one of her eyes weakly. "Master… I think that creature is a poison type."

"You sure about that?" Wes asked, walking back to where he was standing before.

"I can't exactly process the thoughts of that creature," Nayru admitted. "But I can tell you that felt like a poison type move that only could've come from a poison type Pokemon."

"Ok," Wes nodded, giving Nayru a revive and setting her on the ground, reaching for his Lure Ball, but stopping just short of grabbing it, a sudden thought coming to him. "You said you guys are the Ultra Recon Squad! Is that creature also from where you guys are from?"

"This is Poipole," Dulse stated. "And yes, Poipole and I are from the same world. In your world, you would know it as Ultra Space."

"Ultra Space?" Wes asked, while Jason's eyes widened as he made a realization.

"So," Jason began to say, eyeing Poipole with caution. "Poipole is…"

"Correct," Zossie nodded, as if reading his mine. "In your world, you would know this as an Ultra Beast." Wes suddenly was knocked to the ground as a flash of light emerged from his Luxury Ball on his belt. Zero had emerged, growling as he stared Poipole down, digging in the dirt in eagerness to battle. "Oh my, what is that?"

"It is one of those creatures we saw at the Aether Foundation," Dulse commented. "How did he get one of them?"

 _Aether Foundation?_ Jason realized, glaring at Dulse.

Wes blinked in shock, before standing back up. "Alright then, whatever that Poipole is, he is about to meet my most powerful Pokemon. Zero, use Tack-" The move wasn't even fully said by Wes before Zero charged, slamming into Poipole and sending the Ultra Beast flying back. Poipole regained itself, however, and levitated back into the air, eager to battle.

"Sludge Bomb!" Dulse commanded. Venom once again shot out of Poipole's center stinger, hitting Zero head on, who growled in a mechanical way beneath his helmet, his eyes flashing.

"Use Aerial Ace!" Wes commanded, this time getting the full command out. Zero's axe like blade on his helmet glowed with white light before he changed forward, slashing at Poipole with it. The Ultra Beast took the hit, hovering slightly lower to the ground and in a very weak fashion, close to unconsciousness.

"Don't give in!" Dulse ordered. "Use Signal Beam!" Poipole's singer glowed with rainbow energy, before unleashing a beam of the same colored light that slammed into Zero, sending it flying back a bit. Zero raised his head after the attack, looking extremely angry.

"Finish it off with Iron Head!" Wes ordered. Zero yelled in rage, charging forward as his head glowed with white light, before headbutting Poipole and sending the Ultra Beast flying into a tree, which he slid down and was unconscious.

"Well, that was surprising," Zossie said with a smile. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself there, Dulse."

"I was only gathering data," Dulse said, looking at Poipole. "That is all."

Wes was grinning from ear to ear, as he walked up to Zero, who was still staring down Poipole. "You were fantastic, buddy! Now, let's get you back into your-" Suddenly, before Wes could fully get his Luxury Ball, Zero roared again and began charging. "Whoa, Zero! Return!" Wes held up the Luxury Ball, a beam of red light shooting out of it which hit Zero just before he could attack Poipole with his claws, recalling him into the ball.

Jason looked concerned at Wes, as Dulse glared at him for a moment before pulling out the strange ball and recalling Poipole into it. "You are certainly an interesting and incredible trainer… I thank you for the battle we had today… however, I am afraid that you are not what we are looking for."

"Huh?" Wes asked, flabbergasted.

"You cannot control that Pokemon," Zossie stated, still with a smile on her face. "Until you can, we do not have a use for you."

"Then shall we return to Aether Paradise?" Dulse asked, which caused Jason to glare at them suspiciously.

"Yes, we shall." Zossie nodded, giving her robotic Alolan wave along with Dulse before they turned to leave.

"Hold it," Jason said in a stern tone, stepping forward. "What are you two going there for? Why are you in league with the Aether Paradise?"

"That is information that you do not need to know, Champion of Kalos," Zossie said, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Come, Zossie," Dulse ordered. The two of them walked away, with Jason staring after them with a stern look of anger. Wes, however, was staring down at the Luxury Ball in his hand, sighing before shrinking it back down and placing it on his belt.

"Maybe I don't deserve Zero after all…"

"Like I said on the way here, powerful Pokemon don't just fall into the laps of trainers normally," Jason stated, still staring after the Ultra Recon Squad. "But in your case, it happened, and you can either whine about it, or deal with it and earn the trust of Zero."

"I guess so." Wes sighed, turning to Nayru. "Still, they were a weird bunch. Did you see their wave though? I wonder how cool I would look if I did that?" And at that, he began trying to do that wave, much to Jason and Nayru's dismay.

"Master, please stop," Nayru stated, facepalming. "You're embarrassing me."

"Wes," Jason suddenly said, catching his attention. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Huh?" Wes asked, looking confused. "Why me?"

"Because certain regulations prevent me from doing too much here," Jason sighed. "It's part of my teacher assistant contract. I just need you to be on the lookout for Aether Paradise, and maybe do a bit of information digging for me. I believe they are up to something, with the Type Null and their aiding with the Ultra Recon Squad. I have reasons to suspect them."

"Okay, but why should I?" Wes asked. "I thought they were environmentalists?"

"They appear that way," Jason growled. "But I have dealt with a group before with 'good' motivations that turned out to be bad." He looked at Wes, who still looked suspicious. Jason sighed, "Look, if you give me any useful information, I will excuse you from the mid-term and give you an instant A+. Deal?"

Wes immediately grabbed Jason's hand at that, shaking it with the biggest grin Jason ever saw on him. "Twas a pleasure doing business with you, sir!" He then walked off with Nayru, happily humming to himself.

 _Kukui is going to murder me,_ Jason thought, shaking his head with a sigh and walking after him. They rounded the corner, where Jamie was just finishing up his lecture on eggs, with a bunch of different colored eggs in cases before him, each one with different PokeBalls on top. "Now, as a farewell gift, and so you two can see what Pokemon Breeding is like, I would like to give each student an egg of their own!"

"Wow, really?" Lillie gasped, looking in awe at all the eggs.

"It will be interesting, no doubt." Juan noted, grinning. "Raising a Pokemon from it's very birth is a treat."

"I wonder what egg I will get?" Chole asked in wonder, daydreaming.

"Where were you?" Rose asked Wes, as he sat down next to her in the front.

"Just was talking over my academics with Jason, that's all." Wes replied, trying to look as casual as possible. It must've worked, because Rose just nodded and turned back to the front.

"Here you are," Jamie handed Rose one of the first cases, containing a blue egg with black on the base, top, and a stipe in the center, contained in a case with an Ultra Ball on it. "Take good care of it."

"Thank you, sir," Rose replied, bowing her head.

"For you, Wes," Jamie said, handing Wes a case with a Permier Ball, an orange egg with a yellow, three-pointed crest on the side. "I heard you were from Hoenn, so I thought that egg might be perfect for you."

"What is it?" Wes asked, staring at the breeder in awe.

Jamie laughed at that, "You will just have to see!" Wes pouted as he walked away, but smiled when he looked at the egg. Nayru was also staring in wonder, both of them racking their brains trying to guess what Pokemon might be inside, and how it would remind them of the home that they had left behind.

* * *

 **"But BloodWingd, you made it way too obvious what the Pokemon Wes and Rose are going to get will be!"**

 **Well, I felt like using the anime versions of the eggs (they were in Pokemon Channel as well), and I had to create Rose's from scratch/goggle image references due to that Pokemon not having an egg in the anime or Pokemon Channel. I feel like those eggs are more interesting and easier to tell apart then the normal eggs in game, plus it allowed me to add the plot point that Wes is getting a Hoenn Pokemon.**

 **"But BloodWingd, shouldn't Wes and Rose be smart enough to tell what the eggs are going to be? And if they aren't, wouldn't Jason be?"**

 **Theoretically, yes. However, plot calls for the mystery of what is in the eggs to remain oblivious to anyone but Pokemon Breeders (Brock doesn't count cause he didn't know what was in any of the eggs he saw). Therefore, due to the ignorance of everyone but breeders in the Pokemon world, the egg is a mystery to the characters.**

 **"But BloodWingd, it's obvious!"**

 **I know, but the plot calls for it, therefore I have spoken.**

 **"But-"**

 **I HAVE SPOKEN!**


	10. Mantine Surfing

**So not much of an authors note at the beginning of the chapter, but there will be a bigger one at the end explaining a few things, so just look of that. Anyway, thanks as always to The King of Emerald for being better reader, and letting me use his characters. Note, I do not own Jason and Em. Who's Em you are asking? Keep reading. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Kirlia (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Egg (Permier Ball)

 **Rose:**

Bagon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Egg (Ultra Ball)

 **Jason:**

Too many to count. Don't ask again.

* * *

A few weeks had past since the visit to Paniola Ranch, and while not all of the gift eggs had hatched since then, most of them had. Jaun was holding onto a Chickorita, who was snuggling with him while sitting in his lap. Chole was petting an alolan Meowth, who was batting a ball of yarn back and forth. Lillie had a Comfey now, which floated next to her in the air. Wes and Rose's eggs remained unhatched, however, and were currently sitting in their cases next to Rose, who was watching a battle with Maple in her lap, along with the other students.

Standing on one side of the field was Wes and Nayru, with Sakura sent out and battling against a Magneton, which was hovering in the air. Across the field was a student from another class, wearing a pair of blue capris and a white t-shirt, "Magneton, Thunderbolt!" The three-eyed magnet contraption obeyed, sending out a jolt of electricity that shocked Sakura, who gasped in pain. Sakura, however, opened her eyes shortly afterwards, still standing after that attack. "W-what!? How is she still up!?"

"Sakura, Scald!" Wes commanded. Sakura nodded, letting out a jet of boiling hot water, which slammed into Magneton with tons of force. The electric steel type still hovered back into the air after that, but a giant, red mark was on a part of his body, which looked to be irritating it.

"Burned, huh?" the opposing trainer hissed. "Thunderbolt, one more time!" Magneton let out another bolt of lightning, which struck Sakura and almost finished her off, but the serpentine Pokemon was able to get back up after that and face her opponent. "W-what is going on? She's a water type, that should've done it!"

"Milotic are known for being defensive creatures," Jason explained, who was referring the match. He looked over at Wes after that, awaiting his move.

"Sakura, Recover!" Wes commanded. Sakura nodded, being surrounded by a white glow which healed some of her wounds, a shimmer of light radiating off her as the move ended.

"Oh no you don't!" the trainer hissed. "Magenton, Thunderbolt!"

"Sakura, Protect!" Wes commanded. Sakura surrounded herself with what looked like a green barrier as the Thunderbolt attack was sent flying to her. The electric move hit the barrier, not affecting the serpentine Pokemon. Magneton faced its opponent after the attack, but suddenly fainted, falling to the ground as the burn damage took the last of the metallic Pokemon's health.

"Magneton is unable to battle," Jason stated. "Sakura wins, so the victor is Wes." Wes walked up to Sakura and petted her, the water type cooing a little. Meanwhile, the other trainer ran up to Magneton, checking the magnet Pokemon. While this was going on, Jason looked over the students who were watching in awe at what had happened. "So, as you can see, not always does having a type advantage against your opponent guarantees your victory. There are many factors to take into account when you are battling, moves being the most important part."

"And here I thought we were just being dismissed to watch a battle," Rose sighed, with Maple nodding.

Jason smirked at that, "Of course you weren't dismissed." He then looked at his watch. "Which reminds me, back to the classroom with you all! We have a guest that we need to be meting up there in right now. Move it."

With some groans and other various noises, the students began filing back into the school building. Wes followed right behind them, recalling Sakura into her ball. They made their way back into the classroom before finally Jason arrived last, turning towards them. "Now, as you are all aware, the sight of the next two trials for Wes are Rose are on the other side of the island. We will be heading that way to allow them a chance to partake in the trials, but take note, even though we will be staying in the Hano Grand Resort," he then glared as he looked around at all his students, "this is NOT a vacation."

"Would a little bit of relaxing kill you?" a student asked sarcastically.

"And that is a detention for you," Jason growled, before turning to Wes and Rose. "While we are going there mostly for Wes and Rose's trials, we will still be having classes as normal. One lesson will involve the study of Pokemon in a volcanic environment, while another will involve Battle Royals, due to the Battle Royal Dome being not far from the location we will be staying. We will be heading out tonight, and the first lesson will be tomorrow. On Saturday and Sunday, you will have field work due on Monday about the jungle not far from where we are staying, and we will be leaving Monday morning to return here, so don't treat this as a vacation."

"That's hardly fair!" a few students were saying. Wes, Rose, Jaun, Chole and Lillie all were looking uncomfortable as the other students complained. Finally, Jason had enough, and grinned a devilish smirk.

"Fine then, maybe anyone who wants to complain about it can get the HOTEL BILL sent to their parents," Jason coldly said, glaring at them. Everyone froze at that. The Hano Grand Resort was not cheap, and none of the students wanted that kind of bill to land in their parent's lap. "I thought so. This isn't a vacation, it's for school work. Akala Island is just too big for us to make continuous trips around it, so we had to make do. Thankfully the hotel gave us a discount, but they have no issues with charging any student who misbehaves and goofs off full price! Be lucky we're taking you guys on this trip at all, it wasn't easy gathering the money to take you all… originally we were just going to rent Wes and Rose a room and let them go by themselves."

 _By ourselves,_ Rose thought, blushing madly at the thought of her and Wes having to share a room. "Uh, p-professor? W-we aren't really g-g-gonna share a room, a-are we?"

Jason looked over at Rose, before seeing the blush on her face. "Well I could always arrange it..."

"NO, IT'S OK!" Rose screamed without a second thought, covering her mouth and blushing larger. All the students were staring at her in confusion, especially Wes. Jason, meanwhile, was laughing.

"No, you aren't sharing a room together," Jason stated. "No co-ed rooms allowed, this is a school function. We already got your room assignments, so don't worry about that."

"You're mean, professor," Rose pouted, glaring a little.

"Anyway, I think we delayed this long enough," Jason stated, waking over to the board and writing the schedule. "Today is Tuesday, so we will be spending the rest of the day traveling to the Hano Grand Resort. Wednesday we will be studying the habitats of volcano residing Pokemon at the Wela Volcano Park, only the base of course. Thursday we will be taking a field trip to the beach to study Mareanie habitats and behavior, this is where Wes and Rose will return to the Wela Volcano to partake in their trial. On Friday, we will be going to the Royal Avenue so that we can study Battle Royals with… the Royal himself," Jason rolled his eyes at that. "Finally, the weekend will involve a independent study taking place in Lush Jungle, and Wes and Rose partaking in the second trial."

"Sound good," Rose confirmed, being the only one that was writing the schedule down. "Missing the Mareanie lecture is a shame, but at least we can partake in the Lush Jungle study, even if we will be doing a trial at the same time."

"Why are you sad about missing the Mareanie lecture?" Wes asked, looking at her confused. "They eat Corsola, what else is there to know?"

"Enough," Jason said before Rose could say anything more. "Now, we're going to be having you guys travel to the Hano Grand Resort in a bit of a different way, of course anyone that wants to opt out can, and Kukui can take you on his boat… now for our special guest to come in and tell you all about Mantine Surfing."

The door to the classroom opened, and in walked a guy wearing a pink polo shirt and tan pants. "Good morning, students." Upon seeing him, Maple's eyes lit up, and she instantly dashed off Rose's desk and ran up to the man, who grinned upon seeing her. "Hey, little dudette! Still catching some big waves?"

"You… know Maple?" Rose asked, having stood up and walked up to them.

"Maple is your name now, huh?" the man grinned, hugging Maple, who returned the hug. "Yeah, this pikachu showed up one day watching me surf. She seemed interested, so I taught her how to surf, and ever since then she's been shredding some big waves. She also learned the attack itself, which is pretty cool if you ask me."

"You taught a pikachu how to use surf, which is pretty much impossible to do," Rose pointed out, with everyone else also looking very confused. "How did you even manage to do that?"

The surfer shrugged, handing Maple back to Rose, "I dunno. I was just trying to teach her how to actually surf, not use the attack. Speaking of, I'm here now to teach you guys how to surf. I am known as the head of the Surf Association, and I am going to introduce to you guys the art of Mantine Surfing!"

"I've heard of this before," Jaun noted. "The people in Alola use Pokemon to help them out, and Mantine allows the locals to travel from island to island if no boat or other mode of transportation is available, or just for fun."

"That's right," the boss said, nodding. "There are many tricks you can do while surfing such as the Huntail Spiral, the Lanturn 360, and the Primarina Twist! But enough rambling about it, it's better to get you guys down to Heahea Beach and show you! We se up a special course to go right to Hano Grand Resort, so you aren't crossing the ocean to Ula'ula Beach or anything like that, instead you will be surfing within sight of Akala Island and heading right towards the resort, while I will be in the water to make sure you guys are ok."

"I will be in the air on a ride Charizard," Jason noted. "That way, I can spot anything the boss misses."

"But we wasted enough time explaining," the surfing boss grinned widely. "Let's go!"

XxXxXxX

Jason, true to his word, was soaring in the air on his ride Charizard, keeping an eye on the students below. Many of them were struggling to get the hang of it, but in particular Wes and Rose were having the easiest time, with Maple and Nayru assisting in anyway they could, though Wes was showing off a bit too much for his own good again, having just done a Starmie 720, one of the most difficult moves. Before he could think too much into it, however, his phone rang, and upon looking at the caller id screen, he answered immediately. "Hello, Em."

"Hey, boo!" Em greeted, causing Jason to pale a little. She didn't go right for the "boo" pet name unless she wanted something from him. "So… when am I getting the invitation to Alola?"

"Of course that's why you're calling," Jason shook his head. "Look, right now we are heading out for a big field trip to the other side of an island, so maybe now-"

"Is a good time," Em immediately cut him off. "You're on Akala Island heading towards Hano Grand Resort, right?"

Jason paused, his normally calm face replaced with one of slight confusion and worry. "You're above me, aren't you?"

"Catch me if you can!"

"Wait, no!" Jason shouted into the phone, but a click told him it was too late. He looked up in panic, seeing a falling girl recalling a dragon Pokemon into a PokeBall. Wasting no time, Jason instantly pocketed his phone and had the Charizard ascend up towards her, catching her with ease, though he looked at the girl with a mixture of panic and fury. The girl in question, though, gave him an ecstatic smile, her short, wavy green hair whipping a bit in the wind while her blue eyes flashed in mischief. Since it was a lot warmer here than in Kalos, she had opted for a red crop top and a denim skirt.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Jason snapped, glaring at her.

"Yeah, for you," Em replied, and before he could say anything, her lips connected with his. When she parted the kiss, Jason had turned a bit red, still somewhat glaring at her but the gaze had also softened.

"Do not do that in front of the students," Jason warned her.

"No promises," Em grinned, looking down as Jason grit his teeth. "So, those are your students, huh? Quite an interesting bunch… does that one have a shiny kirlia?"

"That is Wes and his kirlia, Nayru," Jason explained.

"So that is the infamous Wes you've been complaining about," Em said with wonder. "So, which one is Rose?"

"The redhead with the pikachu," Jason explained, and upon seeing Em's look of confusion, Jason continued. "Special pikachu, can use surf. And before you ask, I haven't asked her about evolution. I don't think she's one to pull a Red and leave it unevolved though."

"That dude would seriously benefit a bit more from an alolan Raichu," Em stated. "Still, can't wait to meet them!"

"You aren't going to tell embarrassing stories about me," Jason ordered her.

"Where is the fun in that?" Em replied, pouting.

"I can switch the Cinccino into my party when I am there, you know," Jason stated, smirking. "And her favorite habit still is tickling."

Em blushed and pouted more, covering her sides instinctively, "Jerk."

"I love you too."

Some time passed before Jason and Em finally landed on the dock just outside of Hano Grand Resort, watching as a few of the students began dismounting from their Mantine at the beach side. Not to Jason's surprise, one of them was Wes, who instantly spotted Em and headed over, along with Rose who was also looking at Em curiously. "Who's the girl?" Wes asked in confusion, pointing at Em.

"This is Em… my girlfriend," Jason replied. Wes and Rose both blinked, looking from Em, back to Jason, and back again in rapid succession. Jason sighed, irritated at the two of them, "Yes, she actually is my girlfriend."

"How?" Wes asked, flabbergasted.

Before Jason could reply, Em snickered. "Believe me, I wonder that myself sometimes."

"But you're the one that said yes!" Jason turned to her, flabbergasted.

"Oh, I was teasing, you know that," Em grinned and winked, causing Jason to look annoyed. As the two of them 'fought', Rose and Wes leaned closer to one another to whisper back and forth.

"Can you believe he has a girlfriend?" Wes asked.

"I can't, he seems way too introverted to have a girlfriend," Rose replied.

"Do you think he lost a bet?" Wes asked.

"Maybe she did something really cool that caused him to freak out," Rose suggested. "She does look pretty capable."

Em suddenly turned to them, causing them both to snap back to standing up straight, and make it look like they had just been observing the entire time. This didn't get past Em, though, who smirked and walked up to the two trainers. "You wanna know how he asked me out, don't you?"

"Em, no!" Jason immediately said.

"Em, yes!" Em grinned. "Well it starts with a Pokemon named-"

Jason immediately covered her mouth, looking at Wes and Rose with a mixture of fury and panic. "And that's all the time we have you two make sure the other trainers get on the beach safely wait in the lobby I'll be there in a moment to direct you to your room assignments!" He said all this quickly, while dragging Em away, who looked as though she was struggling to say what she wanted to say.

"What's a Xerneas?" Nayru asked, looking up at Wes and Rose.

"Beats me, is that what she was about to say?" Wes asked, pulling out his black PokeDex. "Hmm, no data? Must be really rare."

"Or legendary," Nayru muttered, looking after Jason and Em.

"Do you know, Rotom?" Rose asked, pulling the red device out of her purse.

"Nope," Rotom sighed. "I am not sure what that is."

"Maybe we can dig up some info on the internet later," Wes noted, pocketing his PokeDex. "Come on, let's make sure no one drowns trying to get off their Mantine."

XxXxXxX

"Arg, how hard it is to find a Pokemon on the internet!" Wes groaned in frustration. He was sitting in the room he shared with Jaun, though the taller trainer had left to do some independent study, as Wes was being a bit loud with all the searching he was doing.

"Well, if it's legendary, it would be censored information, wouldn't it?" Nayru asked. "That's what they did to the Groudon and Kyogre."

"Yeah, but you can still find information on the Hoenn crisis if you know where to look," Wes sighed, closing his laptop. "I give up. I'm going to just ask them in the morn-" Before he could say another word, the egg that he received from Paniola Ranch had begun to suddenly glow. He dashed over to the egg and looked in wonder at it, setting it on the floor and removing the plastic case so only the cushioned base remained. A knock was heard on his door, and Nayru hovered over and opened the door, revealing Rose who was also holding her egg, which was also glowing. "Yours to?"

"Yeah," Wes nodded, watching as Rose walked over and set her egg down near Wes's. The two trainers sat on the floor and stared in wonder, along with Nayru and Maple, who were also watching with internet. Suddenly, both eggs began to morph, transforming. Rose's Pokemon was revealed first, with a small, blue, canine like Pokemon sitting on the cushion looking at her with red eyes, a black mask surrounding them as part of the fur. The baby Pokemon had black legs and torso as well, with a blue tail and yellow fur around the next like a color, with rounded bumps on the back of the forepaws.

"That's a Riolu!" Wes gasped.

"Allow me!" Rotom desk cheered, displaying a picture on his screen. "Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon. It can discern the physical and emotional states of people, Pokemon, and other natural things from the shape of their aura waves."

"Wow, a fighting type," Rose said in wonder, picking up the baby. "Hello, Riolu!" A small bark came from the creature, who nuzzled against Rose's face.

Wes's egg morphed next, revealing a small chick like Pokemon with stubby orange wings, and a body covered in yellow feathers, along with a flame like orange crest on his head. Two thin legs with four toed feet, three in the front and one on the back, were revealed as the baby stood up, opening his beak slightly in wonder.

"Awww, so cute!" Rose squealed. "Rotom?"

"Torchic, the Chick Pokemon," Rotom stated, displaying a picture of a Torchic, though unlike Wes's the colors of orange and yellow were swapped. "Torchic has a place inside its body where it keeps its flame. Give it a hug—it will be glowing with warmth. This Pokémon is covered all over by a fluffy coat of down."

"Wait, why is Wes's Torchic different than the one on the screen?" Rose asked, doing a double take between the newly hatched chick and the image on Rotom's screen.

"I believe it is the same phenonium that occurred with Nayru," Rotom desk explained. "I am not sure what you humans call it, however."

Wes, at that, picked up his Torchic. "Well, I know someone who knows." He walked out of the room, holding his Torchic in his hands, the bird nuzzling him with affection as he walked. Rose, Nayru and Maple followed after, with Rose holding her Riolu. Finally, they got to the room Wes was looking for, and with three sharp knocks later, the door opened.

"Yes, what is it-" Jason asked, before his eyes widened with shock at the sight of Wes's Torchic. His mouth fell open in awe as he stared at the bird, who just clicked his beak, confused at the older boy.

"What's with my Torchic?" Wes asked, confused.

Wes had unleashed the floodgates, as Jason looked at Wes with an expression that only told Wes he was holding back hellfire. "Really? You have Nayru, who is a Pokemon with a different color then normal one of her species, and you are asking me 'what is up with my Torchcic'?"

"I thought she was just a cool mutation," Wes replied.

"While that is true," Jason growled through his teeth, his anger leaking out of him. "I didn't think you were stupid enough to not know what the proper term is!"

Rose was about to speak up, as she did not know either, but before she could Wes took a step forward, glaring at Jason. Unlike Wes's other glares at the boy, which were out of annoyance, this one was genuine anger. "I grew up in a household where my overprotective mother claims to have been found washed up on a beach holding me, with my father nowhere to be found. Excuse me for being a bit sheltered and naïve about some things!"

Jason blinked at that, his anger dissipating instantly. The sound of glass shattering rang in his ears for a split second before he immediately squashed that memory. "Sorry… what you are holding is a Shiny Pokemon. There used to be a 1 in 8192 chance of ever even seeing one. However, due to overbreeding and people manipulating the gene pool of Pokemon, there's about a 1 in 4096 chance that you will see one… and you have two. You're lucky… almost too lucky."

"Really? Sweet!" Wes grinned, looking at his Torchic. "Now, what to name you…"

Jason blinked again, shaking his head. "Most people I know that would encounter or hatch a shiny would scream in excitement. I never knew someone that would just say 'sweet'."

"I'll call you Inigo!" Wes cheered, walking off. Rose bowed to Jason, muttering something about being sorry to disturb him, before chasing after Wes. Jason shook his head at them, before looking down at Nayru, who was still standing there with Maple, both Pokemon looking at him curiously.

"One more question," Nayru asked. "What's a Xerneas?"

Jason's eye twitched at that, but his expression didn't change. "A legendary Pokemon from the Kalos region. That is all you need to know. Don't ask again."

"Okay," Nayru nodded, running off after Wes and Rose with Maple hot on her heels. Jason sighed and shut the door.

"I heard a bit of that," Em said, walking around the corner. "That was a bombshell, huh?"

"I… never knew he didn't have a father," Jason admitted. "Guess we both come from broken households…"

"Well, you can bond with him later," Em noted. "Come on, I want to cuddle."

"First things first," Jason grinned evilly. "Nayru heard Xerneas' name come from you, which is enough for me to declare that you told them, and you know what that means." He held up a Love Ball, which instantly made Em pale. "Cinccino tickle time."

"... I love you?"

"Not gonna save you."

* * *

 **"But BloodWingd, Wes has two shiny Pokemon now! That's not fair!"**

 **Life isn't fair, reviewer, get used to it. But if you WANT to know why Wes had two shiny Pokemon, I'll give you the short answer. Wes's team is based off my favorite Pokemon, and actual Pokemon I have. Want to see all my shinies? I have quite a few, including Gardevoir and Blaziken.**

 **"But BloodWingd, Wes is OP now!"**

 **Is he? Shiny Pokemon are just reskins of existing Pokemon, they don't add any power or anything to the Pokemon. If anything, they're entirely pointless. I just like Gradevoir and Blaziken's looks when they are shiny better.**

 **"But BloodWingd-"**

 **Say anything else and I'll send Jason's Cinccino on you.**


	11. Wela Volcano Park

**So by pure word count, as well as content, this is the largest chapter I have written to date. There was a lot I wanted to do for this chapter, being a very important chapter for character development. Just keep reading to see.**

 **Thanks as** **always to The King of Emerald for being better reader, and letting me use his characters, Jason and Em. And thanks to everyone who reads this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Kirlia (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Torchic (Permier Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Bagon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

* * *

"…and thus, when magma rises from deep within the earth and explodes out of a volcano, it is called lava, and it cools quickly on the surface," Jason was explaining, gesturing all around them as he lead the class onto Wela Volcano Park, where they were surrounded by rocky earth. "Rock formed in this way is called extrusive igneous rock. It is extruded, or pushed, out of the earth's interior and cools outside of or very near the earth's surface. This igneous rock is all around us and makes up nearly the entire structure of Wela Volcano."

"Question," Wes instantly said, raising his hand, but not waiting for permission to ask anything. "How do you know that?"

"Because I'm the teacher, so shut up," Jason answered, causing Wes to lower his hand and grumble a little. "Anyway, our class today will be studying the Pokemon that inhabit this area." He gestured towards some cavern entrances, where a few Salandit, Fletchling and Cubone were observing the humans as they stopped and gathered. "Just from a simple look around you can tell what types of Pokemon you might find around this area, but your reports need to be more detailed then just telling me what you found here. Now, as a rule, no student is to ascend farther up the volcano then the base area."

"Why?" Rose asked, before suddenly raising her hand. Jason sighed, her already having asked why, but pointed to her anyway as if giving her permission to ask her question. "Is there a particular reason we must remain at the base, Professor?"

"I told you not to call me that," Jason hissed, before clearing his throat. "Yes, it is for your protection. The trial captain here, Kiawe, has two totem Pokemon. One we need not worry about, but he has informed me that the other one, a Salazzle, is being especially territorial today… might be mating season. Point is, due to that, we cannot ascend the mountain into her territory. So, it is safe for us to remain down here."

"I heard Salazzle are very aggressive to those it does not recognize or see as part of their pack," Jaun stated. "Additionally, only females exist, much like the Combee family."

"Well, you won't be seeing one anytime soon, thankfully," Jason stated, pointing to the Saladit. "Instead, observe their pre-evolved forms. As for me, I will be here to answer all of your questions, but don't bug me too much."

Wes sighed, stretching for a moment before taking out his Permier Ball, "Oh well, might be a good time to get some bonding in with you, Inigo. After all you're a fire type and should love it here!" Wes threw the ball into the air, releasing the shiny torchic inside of it. A few of the other students gasped in surprise, while a few others grumbled at the sight of Wes' second shiny Pokemon, however a simple clap of Jason's hands caused them to take out their notebooks and resume working.

"Let's work together," Rose stated, walking up to Wes with her notebook, holding Riolu in her arms, who was out to enjoy the mountain. Maple was walking by her side, looking uncomfortable with the ground types around. "After all, we're going to be coming back here tomorrow. We better get used to the place now."

"You think that Salazzle will be out of our way by tomorrow?" Wes asked, looking down at a rock and picking it up, pretending to be observing it. "Unless that's supposed to be the totem Pokemon we are going to be facing off against, in that case I would hate to battle her when she's supposed to be mating."

"I'm sure if the Salazzle is still acting up, Jason or Kiawe will handle it," Rose pointed out, writing down something in the notebook before looking at Wes with a glare. "Are you going to actually help me?"

"This… is a rock, and not a Geodude," Wes noted, pointing at the stone and looking at Rose with a serious face, causing the redhead to sigh and turn back to her notes. While they were working, Inigo and Riolu were playing, chasing one another around and running through the legs of the students. That's when it began to happen, Inigo suddenly flashed a greenish color, and began running faster, causing Riolu to look surprised, before turning to Rose and barking loudly.

"What is it, Riolu?" Rose asked, before turning to look at Inigo, and sweat dropping as she watched the bird get even faster. "Uh, Wes? You might want to look at Inigo…"

"Why, is he doing a cool move?" Wes asked, dropping the rock and turning to Inigo, paling instantly. "Oh no… that's Speed Boost," Wes instantly took out the Premier Ball and rushed after Inigo, attempting to recall the chick.

"Speed Boost?" Rose asked, looking confused.

"An ability that gradually boosts the speed of a Pokemon," Nayru explained. "Normally it is an extremely useful ability in battle, but in the hands of a hyperactive baby Pokemon… well, you can see the results yourself."

"Inigo, stop!" Wes shouted, attempting to recall the bird again, but the chick pokemon jumped high into the air, spring boarding off Wes' head before dashing up towards the mountain path. Wes growled, instantly taking off after his fire type, attempting to recall it again.

"Master, wait!" Nayru shouted, running off after him.

"Hold on, you two!" Rose shouted, dropping her notebook and racing after them, followed by Riolu and Maple. "We can't go up the mountain!"

Jason was observing all of this and sighed as he watched the two trainers and their Pokemon race off. "I should be responsible and stop them… but at the same time I got a class to teach… eh, they're trial goers, what could go wrong?"

Wes continued chasing after Inigo, sending red beam after red beam from the ball, but the chick Pokemon was dodging them all, continuing to race up the cliff. Rose, Nayru, Maple and Riolu were fast on Wes' heals, though the fighting type baby Pokemon was panting heavily, and eventually collapsed in a huff.

"Riolu!" Rose shouted, turning around and recalling the tired Pokemon. "I'm so sorry, please rest." At that, Maple squeaked, and Rose turned back towards Wes, taking off in a sprint once again.

"Ok, that's it," Wes growled, pulling out his Lure Ball. "Sakura, stop Inigo!" Out of his ball popped the beautiful milotic, who landed in front of Ingio. The chick Pokemon halted, looking at the tender Pokemon for a moment, before zooming off in a different direction.

"Bagon, help Sakura!" Rose commanded, throwing her Great Ball into the air. Out popped the reptilian Pokemon, who rushed forward and attempted to cut off Inigo, causing the chick Pokemon to run a different way.

"Nayru, Confusion!" Wes commanded. Nayru closed her eyes, being surrounded by a blue glow. The blue glow surrounded Inigo, stopping the baby Pokemon in his tracks, and allowing Wes to finally recall the bird into his Premier Ball.

"Well, that sucked…" Rose panted, glaring at Wes as she caught up to him.

"How was I supposed to know he had Speed Boost?" Wes shot back, glaring back before putting the Premier Ball on his belt. "Doesn't matter, we got him back safely, so we should be good to descend down the mountain!" Wes took three steps forward before stopping, looking at the four branching paths and sweat dropping, turning to Rose and sheepishly itching his cheek. "Uh, which way leads down?"

"Figures," Rose sighed, glaring at him again and putting her hands on her hips. "Look, all we need to do is look for the path slopping down and climb down the mountain. We need to be careful though, and make sure we don't run into that Salazzle."

"Too late," Nayru muttered, paling as she looked in a different direction. Maple, Sakura and Bagon were also looking in the same direction, each wearing an expression of panic. Wes and Rose turned, and instantly they dawned the same expressions as their Pokemon. Standing there was a dark grey Pokémon resembling a salamander, with a thin dark grey body and a purple underside. The beast's head was dark grey with purple eyes and slit pupils, which were glaring at them in rage. Salazzle let out a low growl, revealing several tooth-like protrusions on the lower jaw.

"R-Rotom, p-please have some good news for us," Rose said, shaking her white bag to wake the PokeDex up. "M-maybe they're friendly deep down."

"Salazzle, the Toxic Lizard Pokemon," Rotom stated, pointing at Salazzle and bringing up a picture of the creature. "For some reason, only females have been found. It creates a reverse harem of male Salandit that it lives with. Filled with pheromones, its poisonous gas can be diluted to use in the production of luscious perfumes. It punishes Salandit that couldn't bring it food with a fierce slap of its flame-spewing palm."

"Oh, that's real friendly," Wes muttered, clenching his fist and staring at the Salazzle. "Rotom, what type is it?"

"Posion and Fire," Rotom chimed out.

Wes looked at the floating device, before slowly turned back to the Salazzle, a grin etched on his face. "Buddy, you picked the wrong trainer to try and fight. Sakura, Scald!" Sakura obeyed instantly, firing a jet of water that had some stream coming off of it. It slammed into the Salazzle head on, causing the fire type to collapse onto the ground in a huff. "Well… that was easy."

But suddenly the Salazzle opened her eyes, getting up and glaring even more. With a loud roar, a yellow aura surrounded the Pokemon, causing her to grin, and Sakura to pale and back up.

"What was that about being easy?" Rose shot towards Wes.

"Hey, I thought she was done for, cut me a bit of slack!" Wes commented, glaring at Rose. Salazzle was having none of their bickering, though, and breathed in before unleashing a torrent of fire, which the two trainers and their four Pokemon dodged effortlessly, but Salazzle didn't let up just with that, before spitting out a purple glob of goo, which hit the ground hard, practically dissolving half of it.

"That was Toxic!" Nayru shouted. "Be careful, we get hit by that and we are goners!"

"Sakura, Scald again!" Wes commanded. Sakura slithered forward a bit and unleashed another torrent of water, which Salazzle dodged. Sakura continued shooting jet after jet of water, but the lizard Pokemon dodged them all, slowly ascending up the mountain before reaching a plateau at the top. Sakura unleashed another jet of water, which Salazzle dodged again, the water slamming into the rocks up above. For a split second, nothing happened, before suddenly a loud rumbling began, and the rocks began sliding down the mountain edge. As they came down, more rocks broke loose from the cliff side, broken off by Sakura's previous Scalds.

"RUN!" Rose screamed, taking off in the opposite direction. No one had to be told twice, with everyone scurrying away from the boulders. They slammed onto the ground with such force that they caused the very ground to quake and splinter, but it ended just as fast as it began. A mountain of rocks covered the land, with only two pathways opened on either side of the boulders. Wes, Maple and Bagon were on one side of the wreck, while Rose, Nayru and Sakura were on the other.

"Rose, Nayru, Sakura," Wes shouted into the rubble. "Are you three ok?"

"We're fine," Rose shouted back, looking around. "Where are Maple and Bagon?"

"They're over here with me," Wes stated, looking around as well. "Look, there is a pathway over here that might lead down. We'll take our chances and hopefully meet you at the bottom."

"Okay," Rose nodded, placing her hand on the rubble and looking worried. "B-be careful, Wes."

"You too, Rose," Wes said, before turning and beginning to head down the pathway with Bagon and Maple, while Rose walked in the opposite direction down the pathway on her end, with Nayru and Sakura following in her wake.

XxXxXxX

Jason turned, a slight look of concern on his face. That rumbling earlier did not do anything to ease his comfort in Wes and Rose being gone, and what was worse is they showed no signs of heading back anytime soon. As much as he wanted to either look for them on his own, or send one of his Pokemon to do it, most of the ones that could were in his PC Box, and with the students here he had to stay; he was their teacher after all.

"Hey, isn't that your girlfriend?" Lillie asked, pointing to the path that lead to Route 7. Jason turned, muttering an 'oh great' to himself.

"Hey, boo!" Em cheerfully waved, racing up to him.

"Em," Jason flatly muttered. "This is a class, and I thought I told you that I need to not be disturbed while I am working."

"But I'm bored just waiting in the hotel room for you!" Em moaned, sitting on a rock. "Besides, I have never seen you work before, and I thought it would be interesting."

Jason sighed, shaking his head and turning back to the class. "Fine, but I don't want to hear you complain even one time about you being bored, got it?"

"Got it!" Em cheerfully said, observing the class with interest. However, as time went on, that interest slowly turned into mild comfort, then into antsy boredom. Em went from lying on the rock, to observing the rock Wes had picked up earlier, to making faces at a wild Cubone (which didn't look to happy about it), until finally she had enough and signed loud enough for Jason to hear her, interrupting his answering a question. "I'm bored!"

"I thought I said-" Jason hissed, slowly turning to her, however before he could say anymore Em got up, grinning from ear to ear, the class now observing them with mild amusement.

"Hey, let's tell a story!" Em cheerfully announced, causing Jason to instantly go wide-eyed. "So, this is the story of how me and Jason-"

"Hey, wanna know Em's favorite Pokemon?" Jason loudly said, glaring as he interrupted her. "It's Cinccino, especially a particular Cinccino that I happen to be carrying with me right now and has a knack for using the move Tickle." Em instantly paled at that, sitting back on the rock and just staring at the class like she had been silently observing the whole time, a slight blush on her face. Jason grinned at that, turning back to the class and muttering to himself, "That's what I thought."

"How are these two a couple?" Chloe asked Jaun. "They're total opposites!"

"Well, you know what they say," Jaun shrugged. "Opposites attract. Speaking of opposites, I wonder how Wes and Rose are doing? They're been gone quite a while."

"I hope they are ok…" Chloe muttered, looking up the path in worry.

XxXxXxX

"Oh, come on, Nayru!" Rose pleaded, looking at the psychic type. "I just need you to listen to me until we get back with your trainer!"

"Why?" Nayru asked, leading the way with Sakura close behind her, followed by Rose, who was looking at the two Pokemon with a mixture of annoyance and worry. "No offense, hun, but I don't really trust you."

"I'm smarter than your so-called Master, though," Rose muttered, glaring a little.

"Yeah," Nayru admitted, looking at her. "But what do you see me as?" That question caused Rose to look confused, so Nayru continued. "Wes sees me and his Pokemon not as Pokemon, but as friends. He doesn't treat me any differently just because I am a Pokemon. Sure, there are moments when our differences do collide, but that's not the point. Wes and I are partners, I am not a tool for battle and he knows it. I battle because I want to help him, not because he forces me to. You, on the other hand, are acting like I am just a Pokemon that has to listen to you because you're the only trainer around, and nothing more."

Rose blinked, looking at Nayru in shock before muttering to herself. "I don't really know much about you, don't I?"

"That's because we never talk," Nayru muttered.

"Well, let's talk now," Rose muttered, continuing to follow after them. "Uh…"

"Just talk to me like I am a normal human girl, Rose," Nayru sighed, rolling her eyes as she could tell Rose was struggling to think of something to talk about. "Not that hard."

"Do you… like chocolate?" Rose asked awkwardly.

"Yes," Nayru answered, but rolled her eyes. "This is going to be a long track, isn't it?"

"I'm trying here!" Rose commented, looking angry for a moment before sighing and looking down. "I'm not really the social type."

"You and Wes both," Nayru admitted, shrugging.

"What do you see in Wes, anyway?" Rose asked, looking at her with genuine interest. "I mean, there are times where I can tell he annoys you, yet you still stick by him. Why is that?"

Nayru stopped walking, causing Sakura to stop as well as Rose, both of them looking at her and awaiting her answer. "Wes… is different. Sure, he's hotheaded, cocky, a little dumb… but he has a heart of gold… ironically enough, I sense the same heart from you. You just cover it up with your little Tsundere act."

"I am not a Tsundere," Rose pouted, huffing as she crossed her arms and turned away.

"Sure, whatever you say," Nayru rolled her eyes. "Look, maybe just open up a little more, ok? You act all tough, but I know deep down you're a good person. You truly love Pokemon, I can tell…" Rose remained silent for a minute, unsure of what to say to Nayru. How did this Pokemon… no, that might be where she was wrong. Nayru might be a Pokemon, but she was like her own person as well. She had looked past Rose's shell and into her heart, something most others failed to do. Were other Pokemon like her as well? Did her own Pokemon see past her tough exterior as well. Rose turned to Sakura, who was looking at her with piercing eyes and a smile, almost as if she too could tell Rose was a good person on the inside, even with their first encounter.

"Hey, I found something!" Nayru suddenly shouted, causing Rose and Sakura to snap out of their staring contest and rush towards where Nayru was. Lying there was a Salandit, injured gravely, with what looked like slash marks on its lower belly.

"I think I got some potions," Rose immediately said, kneeling down and digging into her bag.

"See? Good person," Nayru smiled.

"She looks very injured, zzt," Rotom commented, flying over. "Salandit, the Toxic Lizard Pokemon. The males will do whatever the females tell them. They give the females most of their food. Due to malnutrition, the males can't evolve. Volcanoes or dry, craggy places are its home. It emanates a sweet-smelling poisonous gas that attracts bug Pokémon, then attacks them."

"If she's a girl, then why is she this banged up?" Rose asked, spraying the super potion on the Salandit, who opened her eyes weakly and looked at Rose with interest.

"The Totem Salazzle," Nayru realized, her eyes wide.

"Pardon?" Rose asked, continuing to treat the Salandit.

"She must be the queen of the pack," Nayru stated. "I heard that some packs of Salazzle and Salandit only have one ruler. Other females are driven out of the pack and forced to either live on their own or create a new pack. Since the Salazzle here is a totem Pokemon, I bet she wants to be the only Salazzle in charge, and thus will drive out the competition. Maybe that is why the Salandit population around here has a dwindling female population."

"That's terrible!" Rose gasped, finishing her treatment, the Salandit looked at her with glee, greatful for the treatment. "She has just as much of a right to live here as anyone else!"

"Now she gets it," Nayru said, grinning. "So, what are we going to do? We can't just leave her here. After all, she might be attacked again."

Rose thought for a moment before picking up the lizard Pokemon, which surprisingly didn't put up a fight at being carried by a stranger. "We will bring her to Jason. He might know what to do. Come on, let's find Wes before it's gets too late!"

XxXxXxX

"Bagon, Dragon Claw!" Wes ordered. Bagon obeyed without question, and slashed at a boulder blocking their way. Wes, Bagon and Maple continued on, finally having arrived at a large plateau on the mountain side. Wes sighed at his, looking down. "Hey, I think I see the base camp! It's a tiny speck, but if we continue going down this path, I think we can meet back up with Jason and the others!" Before he could say another word, however, Bagon and Maple both began tugging at his pants. Wes looked over to where they were looking and paled at the sight. Standing there was the totem Salazzle, who didn't look very happy to see them there. "Oh… f-"

She suddenly struck, sending out a torrent of fire, which Wes narrowly avoided, grabbing Maple and Bagon to pull them out of the way as well. Wes got up, adjusting his glasses as they had slid down his nose when he look his dive. "Maple, Surf!"

Maple obeyed, creating a torrent of water in her tail that was in the shape of an orb, and slammed it into Salazzle, who screaked in pain as she was hit. Salazzle angrily roared, creating another torrent of fire and sent it flying towards Maple, who was about to get hit, due to her being in the air.

"Sakura, Scald!" Rose's voice suddenly shouted. "Nayru, Psychock!" A torrent of boiling water went flying above Wes' head, slamming into Salazzle's mouth and cutting off the fire. At the same time, shards of psychic energy flew out and slammed into Salazzle, weakening it considerably.

"About time you showed up," Wes grinned, turning to see Rose standing there holding a Salandit. Nayru and Sakura raced up to where Maple and Bagon were standing, ready to battle. "What's with the Salandit?"

"I'll explain later," Rose stated, looking down as the Salandit seemed to press herself into Rose's chest, looking at the Salazzle in fear. "Mind if I get my Pokemon back?"

"By all means," Wes grinned, turning back to Salazzle. "Sakura, Scald!"

"Maple, Surf!" Rose commanded. Sakura unleashed another torrent of water as Maple charged up an orb of water in her tail. Both attacks went flying, slamming into Salazzle, who looked extremely angry after that. She leapt up into the mountain side and slammed her hand into the wall. Suddenly, much like before, boulders began flying down at them, and this time, they had nowhere to run.

"Nayru, Confusion!" Wes commanded.

"Bagon, Dragon Claw!" Rose screamed, panicked.

Nayru cried out as she caught several of the bounders with her psychic powers, and Bagon began hacking and slashing at the others, but both Pokemon were struggling, with Bagon even getting hit by a boulder and sent flying into the ground. That is when suddenly both Pokemon began to glow. Nayru became much larger, and when the glowing stopped she had transformed. Her body now resembled a flowing gown, white in color, but her hair, arms, and the underside of the gown were her signature shiny color of blue, her hair curled over her face and down the sides of her head. Behind her orange eyes were short spikes, resembling a masquerade mask. Her orange, fin-like horn now extended from her chest, and a shorter, more rounded horn extends from her back.

Bagon's change was also drastically different. No longer did she resemble a dragon, instead she now resembled a greyish white cocoon with four, grey legs, with an opening in front, revealing two yellow eyes, while the other opening is in the back that just looked like a grey hole. She looked very heavily and bukly, as if the cacoon gave her a ton of protection.

"Bagon and Nayru evolved into Sheldon and Gardevoir!" Rose gasped in awe. At that, Nayru let out a cry, able to effortless lift the boulders into the air with ease. Sheldon's eyes flashed, as she leapt into the air, effortless tearing through the boulders with ease. Salazzle landed on the ground, ticked off at the two newly evolved Pokemon.

"Wanna fight, do you?" Nayru grinned. "Good, I need to test my new powers!"

That's when the Saladit in Rose's arms suddenly jumped down, and walked in front of Nayru, letting out a loud screech. Salazzle looked down at the lizard Pokemon, clicking her jaw. Salandit began to do that same.

"Uh, translation?" Wes asked, turning to Nayru, who was now only a couple inches shorter then him.

"She's telling the totem Salazzle to back off," Nayru informed him. "That we do not mean any harm and are only trying to get back to the base camp." The message seemed to be delivered, as Salazzle turned around and began walking away, adding another jaw click to her message. "She also said that Salandit seems to already have found her new pack."

"What does that mean?" Rose asked, though she didn't have to look far for the answer, as Salandit was rubbing her face against Rose's ankle, looking at her with affection.

"I think it means you adopted a Salandit," Wes snickered.

"Well, I did need a fire type," Rose commended, grinning as she knelt down and pulled out a Luxury Ball from her bag. "What do you think? You might not be a queen in your pack, but with this Luxury Ball, you're sure going to feel like one." The Salandit seemed to enjoy the thought, tapping the ball with her nose and getting sucked inside, where the ball only blinked once before indicating a successful capture.

"So much for getting Jason to take her, huh?" Nayru grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, well that makes a full team under my belt," Rose yawned. "Let's head back, I'm beat…"

Wes couldn't agree more, as the two of them traveled down the trail with their Pokemon. Down at the base, Jason and Em seemed to be in a friendly bickering war, as several students were looking on. Chloe suddenly spotted Wes and Rose, and shrieked in excitement. "They're back!"

"What is going on?" Wes asked, looking confused between Jason and Em.

Jason turned to look at them, first noticing how dirty the two trainers were, then he noticed Shelgon and Nayru had evolved, then looked to see Sakura and Maple looked very tired as well. "Long story, I don't think you two have the energy to deal with it."

"That we do not," Wes and Rose said at the same time, grinning at one another in a tired manner.

"Well, as long as you two are safe and found Inigo, that is all that matters," Jason stated, turning to the class. "Class was dismissed ten minutes ago! You all need to go back to the hotel and work on your assignments! Now!"

"Oh no!" Rose gasped, panicking again. "I forgot about the assignment!"

Jason looked over at them, Rose was panicking hardcore, grabbing the notebook she dropped hours ago and crying about how they didn't have any notes, while Wes was staring at his teacher in exhausted defeat. Finally, he sighed. "You two are excused from the assignment… you got enough of a lesson on the mountain, did you not? Go to the hotel and get cleaned, and don't be late for dinner."

"Oh, thank you, Professor!" Rose said with relief, as she and Wes walked off, followed by the other students who were bombarding them with questions.

"They battled the Totem Salazzle, didn't they?" Jason asked, turning to a figure that had emerged from the cliffside.

"Yup," said the teen that had emerged from the rubble. He wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing his muscular, ebony skin, and had little more on then a pair of beat up red pants and a pair of red sandals. He had a necklace on which resembled something worn in a tribal ritual and had hair that looked like fire. He crossed his arms, and grinned as he watched Wes and Rose walking off, sheepishly answering what questions they wanted to answer. "She's a pain alright, but nothing compared to my second totem Pokemon… I can't wait to see how they do."


	12. Trial by Fire

**Before we begin, thanks to pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapters 6 through 11. It's very refreshing to get reviews on this story, especially since my YuGiOh stories seem to hog all the attention on this site... between you, me, and the fence post, they aren't my favorite stories on this site. My favorites would be this one and my Splatoon story, and the Splatoon story's sequel whenever I can work on that.**

 **Thanks as always to TheKingOfEmerald for being my beta reader and letting me use his characters, Jason and Em. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Torchic (Permier Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

Wes groaned a little, opening his eyes and shifting a bit uncomfortably as he attempted to focus with his blurry vision, before grunting a little, reaching over and pulling on his glasses. He had not slept well that night, having a bedmate that was hogging over two-thirds of the bed next to him. Said bed mate had also awoken, and was stretching and yawning, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning, master," Nayru said, giving him a small smile.

"We need to figure out better sleeping arrangements," Wes muttered, cracking his back. "You kept trying to shove me off the bed in your sleep."

"First of all, I am not going in the Giratina contraption," Nayru instantly said, referring to her Friend Ball. "Second of all, it's not my fault that I've doubled in height since yesterday. I was a cute Kirlia just the other day, and now I am a beautiful Gardevoir!"

"Right," Wes muttered, taking out his PokeDex. "I forgot to do this yesterday… The Embrace Pokemon…"

"That means I give good hugs!" Nayru cheered, suddenly hugging Wes tightly.

"I don't think it means that kind of embrace," Wes rolled his eyes, but smiled as he went back to reading from the PokeDex. "Gardevoir has the ability to read the future. If it senses impending danger to its Trainer, this Pokémon is said to unleash its psychokinetic energy at full power, even at the risk of its own life. Gardevoir has the psychokinetic power to distort the dimensions and create a small black hole."

"Okay, as awesome as that makes me sound, I call hax," Nayru snapped, letting go of her master and glaring at the PokeDex. "Who wrote that? Do they even know how dangerous a black hole is, even a tiny one!?"

"We both know that the PokeDex exaggerate about a lot, Nayru," Wes yawned, stretching some more as he got off the bed. He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, and 20 minutes later emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed. He and Nayru headed down to the hotel lobby, where Rose was waiting for them, Maple riding on her head and just enjoying the view. Jason, Em and the other students were gathered in the café area, so the two trial goers headed over to where they were. Upon seeing them, Jason and Em walked over to great them.

"Rough night?" Jason asked, noticing that Wes seemed to be rubbing his side a lot.

"Nayru kept hogging a majority of the bed," Wes explained, glaring at the embrace Pokemon. "So yes, kind of sore here and there."

"You sleep in the same bad a Nayru?" a few students muttered, with several of them exchanging odd glances in Wes' direction.

"Yeah, so?" Wes asked, glaring back. This didn't stop several of the students from either chuckling at Wes or continuing to shoot odd looks his way. Rose looked at Wes in worry, who was turning red with embarrassment. Nayru looked embarrassed as well, and when she started to back away in embarrassment, this finally caused Jason to loudly clear his throat, catching everyone's attention.

"I see nothing wrong with it," he said, glaring instantly at all the students before another remark could be made. "I guarantee you all of you have cuddled with a Pokemon at one point in your life, am I right or am I RIGHT!?" Everyone sheepishly muttered conformation, which made Jason nod. "Thought so. Just because Nayru is human shaped doesn't mean a damn thing, so you all can stuff it. Why, I once survived in the cold, snowy depts of Unova's highest mountains by cuddling with my Volcarona. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"Volcarona?" a female student asked.

"A fire type whose body could replace the sun if it even went out," Jason said in a very as a matter of fact tone, which caused several students to go wide-eyed. "Point is, don't cast stones if you yourself are guilty of cuddling with a Pokemon… and I swear if one of you even thinks about making a pokephile joke, you're getting detention for the rest of the year." This instantly caused a few students to sheepishly squirm.

"Wait, Unova?" another student asked, looking confused. "I thought you were the champion of Kalos."

"And that is a story for another day," Jason replied. "Now clam it, or detention. I need to tell Wes and Rose something."

"Thank you," Nayru muttered to Jason.

"Don't mention it," Jason said, giving her a smile before turning to Wes and Rose. "Anyway, it's trial day for you two… but I think it would be too easy for you two to just waltz in there and use Sakura, Brionne and Maple to defeat whatever Pokemon you are fighting… so I have a rule; no water types or attacks!"

"What!?" both Wes and Rose gasped, flabbergasted.

"Now hold on," Jason stated, holding up his hand. "You can use them, but why should you? It's a trial, after all, you should be challenged. As an incentive not to use water type Pokemon or attacks, I promise you both extra credit."

Wes' eyes lit up at this, while Rose tilted her head and muttered, "but I already have 102% in the class."

Jason ignored this, choosing instead to take Wes' growing smirk as a sign that his rule to them was accepted. "I promise you two won't be type limited again after this, but I thought maybe it would be fun to have an extra challenge this time around. Anyway, off you two go now."

"Good luck in the trial!" Em shouted after them, as the two of them left the hotel lobby and walked out the entrance, heading towards Route 7 and the volcano looming in the distance before them.

"No water types or water type attacks, huh?" Wes thought aloud, boldly grinning a little. "Fine, that is a challenge that I can gladly accept. After all, fire types have other weaknesses as well."

"Well, that's if we are battling a pure fire type," Rose noted, thinking to herself as she looked at the ground, the grass slowly vanishing as they entered the rocky field they were at with the other students yesterday. "If we are battling that Salazzle, then it shouldn't matter, as all the fire type weakness remain, also adding an additional psychic weakness. Rockruff could be useful since Fire-types are weak to Rock, but what about your team?"

Wes thought about it for a moment, weighing his options. "Well, I got Nayru for Psychic, but you are right… I don't have any ground or rock type attacks. Faye would be no good since she is a bug type, and so that really only leaves Inigo and…"

At that, Wes trailed off, his heart sinking as he thought back to the battle against Poipole. Despite listening to all his commands, Zero actually tried to kill the Ultra Beast that they were fighting, and didn't listen to Wes's command to stop. After that, both Dulse and Zossie seemed to be in agreement that Wes did not have control over Zero, at least not full control.

"Wes?" Rose asked, snapping him out of his flashback. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Wes instantly replied, looking forward and trying to be casual. "So Nayru and Inigio it is, since Faye is a no-go and I can't use Sakura."

"What about Zero?" Rose asked.

"Nope," Wes dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Not going to use Zero, another handicap I am putting on myself." Rose blinked, instantly sensing that something was wrong, and turned to Nayru for an answer.

" _Before receiving the eggs, Jason was approached by two mysterious people who wanted to battle Wes,"_ Nayru explained telepathically so that Wes could not hear that Nayru was spilling the beans. _"During the battle, they used a strange Pokemon known as an Ultra Beast."_

" _Ultra Beast?"_ Rose thought, knowing that if she talked aloud Wes would realize they were communicating. _"What is that?"_

" _I can_ _'_ _t be too sure myself,"_ Nayru telepathically said back. _"But what I do know is that Zero went belistic when battling the creature, and despite listening to Wes_ _'_ _commands, the second the battle ended, Zero ignore Wes_ _'_ _orders to return into his ball… and went for the kill."_

"HE WHAT!?" Rose shouted loudly, instantly covering her mouth. Wes looked behind his shoulder in confusion, an eyebrow raised in confusion and suspicion. "Oh, uh… apparently a new article published this morning said that Red went up to Mt. Silver… again… crazy how much he likes mountains, right?"

"Your phone isn't in your hand," Wes instantly pointed out, his eyes narrowing a little.

"Oh, uh, I was half asleep when I read the article, so I guess it just hit me," Rose sheepishly stated, smiling nervously and rubbing the back of her head, with Maple intimidating her. Wes seemed to buy it, but slowly turned back to face forward as he climbed the mountain side.

" _Smooth,"_ Nayru commented telepathically. _"Anyway, that is why Wes has sealed Zero, at least for the moment. Once he is more confident, he wants to work with Zero… but for now, let him be."_

Rose nodded as the psychic link was broken, thinking over what Nayru had just told her, though she didn't have long before they arrived at a plateau on the mountain side, with a arena like area in the center, and the same guy that Jason talked to yesterday standing there, grinning at them. "Welcome, trial goers. My name is Kiawe, and I will be overseeing your trial today. For the first part of the trial, I want you to observe these three Marowak dancing, and tell me what is different between each dance."

"That doesn't sound fun," Wes muttered, looking annoyed.

"Observation is a key part of battle, young trainer," Kiawe commented, looking a little irritated at Wes. "If you are not focused on everything going on in a battle, you will fail to properly command your Pokemon. Memorizing certain parts of a battle, as well as acting on what changes, are important."

"Yes, sir," Rose nodded, though Wes grumbled a little.

"Very well," Kiawe grinned. "If at least one of you understands, then let us begin the dancing!" For the next ten minutes, Wes and Rose did nothing more then observe the dances, and what changed between the two sets. Both trainers were actively getting each one right, though as they got less and less different, Wes and Rose struggled more and more. Kiawe noticed Wes getting very into observing the dance, and grinned, knowing that the silver haired teen finally seemed to understand why he was doing what he did. Finally, two identical dances occurred, with a fourth Marowak appearing behind the trio of Marowak, glaring down at them.

"Uhhh," Wes pointed, his mouth hanging open. "I think that isn't supposed to be there."

"Correct," Kiawe nodded, before flashing a devilish smirk. "And now for part 2 of your trial… Totem Marowak, prepare for battle!"

Rotom took his as his cue, flying out and smiling on his screen. "Allow me, Rose! Marowak, Alolan variant, the Bone Keeper Pokemon. The bones it possesses were once its mother's. Its mother's regrets have become like a vengeful spirit protecting this Pokémon. Its custom is to mourn its lost companions. Mounds of dirt by the side of the road mark the graves of the Marowak."

"Thank you, Rotom," Rose nodded towards the floating device, before turning to the Marowak, which was surrounded by a yellow aura. "I read that unlike Kantoan Marowak, Alolan variant ones are Fire and Ghost types."

"Which means they are weak to Ground, Rock, Ghost, Water and Dark type moves," Wes thought aloud, narrowing his eyes. "Nayru, it's a double-edged sword here, but you're all I got! I don't want to use Inigo unless I have to."

Nayru nodded, stepping forward, a ghostly purple aura flaring on both her hands. "So instead of the Salazzle, looks like I am testing my new powers on you."

Rose pulled out her fast ball, grinning. "Alright, go Rockruff!" The rock puppy Pokemon emerged from the ball, barking and wagging his tail.

"Shadow Ball!" Wes commanded. Nayru nodded, the purple aura in her hands becoming a ball of shadow, before being launched at Marowak, who was hit by the orb of darkness, but it didn't seem to do much as the bone Pokemon shook his head, shrugging it off.

"Marowak are slow, so if we bombard it with attacks, we might knock it out before it even moves!" Rose stated. "Rockruff, use Rock Throw!" The puppy Pokemon barked, creating rocks and sending them towards Marowak, who batted some of them aside but was hit by one or two damaging him. His eyes suddenly flashed, before his eyes glowed red, the same glow surrounding Nayru, who hissed in pain.

"That was Hex, zzt," Rotom stated. "A Ghost type move! I think Marowak wants to take out Nayru first!"

"It's going to take more then that to stop me," Nayru muttered, flashing a smirk. "You'll need to do better then that! Maybe you should just surrender or call for backup!" Marowak blinked at that, but then grinned. He suddenly let out a sharp cry, which caused everyone there minus Kiawe to cover their ears. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a Salazzle appeared, flashing a grin and getting ready to fight. Nayru blinked, before turning to Kiawe and pointing. "He can't do that… can he?"

"From now on, your trials will allow the totem Pokemon to call allies in for backup," Kiawe noted. "So, yes, he can."

"Thanks, Nayru," Wes muttered, shaking his head. "Alright then, let's take out the ally Salazzle first. Psychock!" Nayru started to charge her attack, however before should fire it, Salazzle reared up and unleashed a cloud of purple gas. Nayru gasped, struggling to breathe before she fired her attack, which slammed into Salazzle and knocked it out in one shot. When the smoke around Nayru cleared, however, she had one eye closed in pain, and the other barely open, as she panted.

"Nayru has been poisoned, zzt!" Rotom gasped, panicking a little.

"Can you still battle?" Wes asked, worried.

"Of course," Nayru panted, glaring at Marowak. "I got this one!"

"Rockruff, back up Nayru!" Rose commanded. "Use Bite on Marowak!" Rockruff let out a bark, sprinting forward before latching onto Marowak with his teeth. The bone Pokemon howled in pain, before throwing Rockruff off and into a wall. He then turned, glaring again at Nayru and unleashing his Hex attack, which Nayru screamed in pain at before falling to the ground, unable to battle.

"Nayru!" Wes shouted, rushing forward.

"What happened?" Rose asked, looking at Nayru in shock. "That poison couldn't have done it's toll that fast!"

"Hex's base power doubles if the opponent is inflicted with something like Burn or Posion," Rotom explained, looking worried. "He knew to focus on Nayru, as she was the strongest on the battle field."

"I am not going in the ball so don't even try it," Nayru hissed, as Wes carried her over to lean on a rock.

"I wasn't going to," Wes said, taking out a few berries. "Here, eat these and I will handle the rest." Wes turned back to the battlefield and walked over, holding Inigo's ball. "Go, Inigo!" The chick Pokemon came out with a sparkle of stars, chirping a little as he landed on the battle field.

"A baby Pokemon?" Kiawe asked, looking confused. "You aren't serious, are you? I doubt he has the experience needed to fight in this sort of battle."

"You would be surprised," Wes stated, glaring a little. "Inigo, Protect!"

"Rockruff, Bite again!"

Inigo surrounded himself with a green barrier of energy, as Rockruff bit onto Marowak again. This time, however, the totem Pokemon glared at Rockruff as he threw the dog off again, before charging forward, his bone glowing a blue color before it slammed into Rockruff, who let out a pain filled howl, and fainted.

"Rockruff!" Rose shouted, taking out his ball. "Thank you, return for now."

"That was Brick Break," Rotom stated. "A fighting type move, hence why it did so much to Rockruff."

"What's next?" Wes asked Rose, who was looking at the remaining PokeBalls she had in her bag. She smirked, taking out the Ultra Ball that contained Riolu and throwing it into the air, letting out the baby Pokemon. Kiawe blinked at that, almost in a stunned like manner, as Rose smirked. "Riolu and Inigo hatched at the same time, so it only makes sense that they battle together as well."

"Yeah, about that," Wes said, sweat dropping. Ingio was suddenly surrounded by a green light, chirping happily and running around in circles. "I… kinda forgot he has Speed Boost."

"Great," Rose muttered, shaking her head.

"Hey, you forgot something too!" Wes glared, pointing at Riolu. "Fighting type attacks have no effect on Ghost types!"

"I know," Rose stated. "But who said I was using Fighting type moves? You focus on your hyperactive chicken and I'll worry about my Pokemon. Riolu, Shadow Claw!"

Wes blinked, before suddenly he smirked, shaking his head. "So we taught our Pokemon the same move… alright then, Inigo, Shadow Claw!"

Both Pokemon rushed forward, with Inigo zooming past, leaping off and slashing Marowak on the head wildly. Riolu finally caught up, leaping up and slamming his claw into Marowak's belly. Marowak looked unamused at the pain these two baby Pokemon were causing him, as the fire on his bone increased in intensity, before he spun it, creating a wheel of fire that threw Inigo and Riolu back. Both Pokemon struggled to get up but stood up and faced the larger opponent. Marowak smirked, looking very confident, though weak.

"I must admit, I am impressed that those two are still standing after that last attack," Kiawe said, looking stunned.

"There's more than one reason I didn't sleep well last night," Wes admitted, scratching his nose. "I was training this little guy."

"I hate to admit it," Rose confessed, sheepishly grinning again. "But I was also training with Riolu last night as well. I'm mostly running on adrenaline and coffee."

Kiawe blinked at that, looking stunned at them, "So despite being very tired from climbing the mountain and battling that totem Salazzle yesterday, you guys STILL trained!?" He then laughed, drying his eyes a little. "Man, you two are too much."

"Enough talk, let's finish this!" Wes stated, grinning. "Inigo, use Shadow Claw again!"

"Riolu, you use Shadow Claw as well!" Rose commanded. Both Pokemon charged forward, Inigo reaching Marowak in lightning speed due to his ability, and slashing at the Marowak again, this time it really seemed to affect the ghostly fire type, before he suddenly was thrown back by Riolu's own Shadow Claw attack. He managed to stand up, however, glaring down at the baby Pokemon. For a few moments, nothing happened, before suddenly Marowak fell over, knocked out.

"Alright, we did it!" Wes and Rose shouted at the same time, high fiving one another in victory.

"Way to go," Nayru smiled, standing up and walking over to them, although she had a bit of a limp. "Got to admit, Master, I was at first shocked when you told me that you planned on using Inigo in this battle, but you really pulled though."

"I was shocked as well," Kiawe admitted, heading over to them. "But you two really managed to pull it off. Here, take these Firium Z, if you use them on a Fire attack, it was transform into Inferno Overdrive." Kiawe showed them the poses, before looking over the mountainside towards the hotel below them. "Well, I guess I better call Jason. I need to tell him that you two managed to beat me without using water types or attacks." Wes' eyes lit up at that, the thought of more extra credit filling his mind as he supported Nayru and began to walk down the mountain side with Inigo in his wake. Rose bowed a thank you to Kiawe before racing after Wes, Maple and Riolu hot on her heels. Kiawe looked after them, grinning. "Those two are going to be big someday… I can tell."

* * *

 **Edit: Forgot to change the Pokemon Listing. Whoops.**


	13. Battle Royal Rumble

**Thank you pokemonking0924 for your review on chapter 12, and thanks to The King of Emerald who is my Beta Reader. I kinda had to force myself to sit down and write this one, and thanks to The King of Emerald offering advice and assistance as I wrote it, it was finally able to be written and get out... now if only he liked YuGiOh, then he could help with the story that needs it the most...**

 **Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Torchic (Permier Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

Sunlight peered through the window of the luxurious hotel room, causing Em to stir and awaken from her slumber. The green haired girl yawned loudly, sitting up and stretching, the blue pajamas she was wearing ruffling a bit as her body stretched. She looked to her right, a confused look on her face, as Jason was not in the main room of the hotel room, but the water in the sink was running rapidly, occasionally sounding like it was getting displaced. Occasional muttering could be heard, as the bathroom door was cracked open slightly. Em walked over, her curiosity getting the better of her, and opened the door to find a shirtless Jason splashing water into his face, the counter around the sink soaked with puddles, indicating that he had been at it for a while.

"Are you ok?" Em asked.

"I am just trying to get all the sarcasm I can out now before class," Jason muttered angrily, clearly frustrated. "I don't want to say anything in front of the students."

"And how is that going?"

Jason slowly turned to look at her, beads of water dripping from his face as his eyes became half-lidded in an annoyed glare. "How do you think?"

"Obviously," Em muttered, indicating that her question wasn't genuine, but rather one of a sarcastic tone. "I'm shocked that we're the only ones that seem to know. I mean, it's-"

"Obvious, I know!" Jason finished for her, before dunking his head into the sink that was filled with water, bubbles coming from the basin, indicating he was screaming into the water. He finally lifted up his head, taking a large breath, more water going everywhere, and even now dripping onto the floor due to the overfill from Jason dunking his head into it.

"You can call off?" Em suggested, before giving him a suggestive look. "Stay with me all day, maybe we can go to the beach."

"Kukui would kill me," Jason sighed, finally turning off the water and grabbing a white towel that was hanging on the rack, beginning to clean up after his mess as the water in the sink began to drain. "He's got to 'go run errands' halfway through the lesson after all. He needs me to handle the rest of the 'lesson'."

Em pouted, "Poo. I was looking forward to the beach."

"Maybe another time," Jason stated, sighing as he wiped down his face, reached over to his shirt and pulled it on. "Now, get showered and dressed. We need to be downstairs in an hour to make sure that we can get there on time."

"Yeah, yeah," Em muttered, as Jason walked past her into the main room of the hotel, closing the door behind him. About 45 minutes later, the two more experienced trainers made their way downstairs in the elevator, walking out to see Kukui already having gathered the students, and was talking to them all about the lesson plan for the afternoon. The second Jason saw him, the urge to say something grew within him, but he managed to force it back with a sigh and took his place by the professor's side.

"I want you all to be on your best behavior at the Battle Royal Dome," Kukui was saying, eyeing each student carefully. "And don't expect any of you to partake in any of the matches. I don't think the Royale is going to be choosing just anyone to face him today."

Jason's eye twitched at that, before he blinked and nodded, "Yeah, so no complaining."

"I was fine with not partaking," Juan muttered in a matter of fact tone. "Battles aren't that much of my forte anyway."

"Me either," Lillie and Chloe both agreed, nodding.

Rose and Wes both looked a little sad at the news, but Rose simply shrugged after letting the news sink in for a moment. "It would be a shame not to experience it first hand, but just watching the more experienced trainers participate is probably going to be all we need to do the homework, right?"

Wes simply huffed in response, crossing his arms. "It still bites."

"To be fair, master, we'd get our butts handed to us on a silver platter," Nayru muttered.

"Still, it would've been fun to go head-to-head against the Battle Royale champion himself," Wes pouted.

Kukui waved his hand at that and smiled. "Now, now, Rose is right. All you are going to need is to witness the battles to do your short study assignment, and nothing more. Now, shall we go?"

Everyone nodded, and began to follow Kukui, who lead them all out of the hotel and onto the path that lead out of the hotel gardens and onto Route 6. Instead of heading towards Route 7, like when they were doing the independent study at the volcano, Kukui instead guided them towards a small, town like area, where they could clearly see a Pokemon Center, a few warehouses, and finally a large, dome building. Kukui didn't react to it much, almost as if he had seen it a million times before. The students, much to the surprise of no one, all looked at the place wide-eyed and with awe, with even Em staring in shock at the fact that this region, very mellow everywhere else, would have a grand display such as this one. Jason, who was lagging at the back, looked bored, and was muttering to himself.

"And here we are!" Kukui announced, as they stepped into the small town like area, stopping in front of the Battle Royale Dome. "Royal Avenue! It mostly was just a major street on the way to Route 8, but it's become so much like a small city itself thanks to the Battle Royal Dome."

"I got a question," Rose asked, raising her hand. "Why are Battle Royals so popular in the first place?"

"An excellent question!" Kukui grinned, staring at the Battle Royal Dome with pride. "The Battle Royals began because of our four sacred guardians, who would partake in matches very similar to this one to see who was the strongest among them. We of Alola, to honor and to become stronger and closer to our Pokemon, decided to also take part in this tradition as well."

"How do Battle Royals work exactly?" Wes asked, looking a bit confused. "I get they are four trainers all battling at once, but how does one win a Battle Royal?"

"Well, all four trainers are battling one another at the same time," Kukui stated. "Attacks can be directed towards anyone, but much like a traditional battle, only one trainer can win. A Battle Royal ends when only one of the four trainers are still standing."

"That must get chaotic," Juan sighed.

"It also would be fair to assume that unlike in a traditional battle, it might not be the stronger trainer who would win," Lillie thought aloud. "Cause two or even all three of the other trainers could gang up on a single Pokemon to defeat it."

"That is a fair point, Lillie," Kukui nodded, turning. "And the Masked Royal often has to deal with that in his battles, yet he always seems to come out on top! That's why he is so famous, and a hero to all of us Battle Royal fans, including myself!"

 _Conceited much?_ Jason thought, gritting his teeth.

Kukui remained silent for a moment, before suddenly jumping a bit. Everyone's eyebrow raised in confusion, as he pulled out his phone, looking at it for a moment before answering it. "Yes, dear? I am in the middle of class." Everyone watched in a mixture of wonder and confusion, though Jason and Em looked more bored then anything else. A mixture of amusement was written on Em's face, while Jason looked like he was doing all he could to stay silent. Finally, Kukui said something into the phone, and put it back in his pocket with a defeated sigh, turning to his students. "Something has come up. Jason, I'm leaving you in charge of the class! Make sure everything goes according to my lesson plan, ok?"

"Will do, sir, have fun with your excu- emergency", Jason quickly corrected, his eye twitching as he forced a pleasant smile on his face. Nayru turned to him at that, looking at him strangely before turning back to Kukui, who merely gave a wave before running towards Route 8.

"What do you think that was about?" Wes asked.

"It might be important if he is just going to leave out of the blue like that," Rose muttered back, looking worried after their teacher.

"Well," Jason sighed, stretching his neck a bit before looking at the Battle Royal Dome with a bit of distaste. "Shall we go get our seats? Kukui managed to get us front row ones... wonder how he did that?"

"Jay, you're not doing a good job of not being sarcastic", Em muttered, although the bemused smirk on her face said she didn't care.

"He's not here anymore, I'm in charge of the lesson, I'll say what I damn well want", Jason responded, that forced grin still on his face as the two older trainers led the way.

"What is that about?" Juan asked, looking after them.

"I still wanna know how they're a couple," Lillie muttered, following after them, every other student muttering words of agreement as they followed her inside. Their seats weren't that hard to find, as many other people were already in the dome, sitting in anticipation for the match that was going to happen, leaving a large portion of the front row unoccupied, which was a clear sign that is where the students, along with Jason and Em, were meant to sit, the two older trainers in question already sitting down. Minutes passed, mummers of anticipation filling the air before finally the lights grew dark, and silence took over the stadium.

"Alright, Battle Royal Fans, are you ready for a match!?" the announcer screamed into the microphone, his voice booming across the room. Loud screaming from the fans followed this, which caused Chole to cover her ears in pain. "Alright! In the red corner, our champion, our hero, the man with the plan... THE MASKED ROYAL!"

The Masked Royal walked out of the giant Charizard head, a multi-colored horned mask donning his head, wearing black pants, white knee high boots, and missing a shirt. As the fans roared in excitement, Jason signed, the urge to just scream how obvious it was that Kukui was the man standing on stage growing by the second. He turned to look at his students, who all were either yelling along with the crowd, or in Chole's case covering their ears due to the noise. It was at this moment that he noticed Nayru's eyes grew wide as she stared at The Masked Royal, suddenly seeming to realize something. That caused Jason to suddenly sprout a wide, glee filled smile.

"What's with the smirk?" Em asked, as the roar of the crowd died down and she could finally talk.

"Well, Kukui once told me that in order to protect his identity, he trained his mind against the probing of Psychic pokemon," Jason informed her.

"And?"

"Well, I think a certain shiny friend of ours has grown too powerful for Kukui's own good," Jason laughed, turning back to the stage as other challengers came out.

Nayru blinked as she continued to look at the 'Royal', before leaning over and poking Wes on the shoulder. "Uh, master?"

"Not not, Nayru," Wes muttered to her. "Battle battle battle."

"And he's back to being ten," Nayru sighed, shaking her head and shrugging. Nayru looked over at Jason, noting the smile on his face. _"You knew the whole time, didn't you?"_

 _"And I thank you for being powerful enough to read his mind and realize it,"_ Jason thought back to her. The battle began right before their eyes at that moment, and true to the word of Kukui, the other three challengers had instantly gunned for him. Despite the exciting match that followed, the victor was a suprise to no one, though everyone cheered all the same. Kukui, in his guise, stepped onto the main battling stage after his victory, his Midday Form Lycanroc by his side, who howled in victory.

"No one can beat the Royal!" he announced, pumping his fist into the air, the crowd going wild at the sight. "Tell ya what? I'll take any three challengers on that think they have the guts to face me! Come on! Who wants to battle!?" Everyone in the crowd, especially Wes, jumped up, waving wildly at the Royal and trying to catch his attention, who was scanning the crowd as though looking for who to challenge.

 _"No one, huh?"_ Nayru thought telepathically to Jason. _"Why don't you go down there and beat him?"_

At that, Jason's smile faded, _"Oh, believe me, I'd love to, but one, I got banned from the Battle Royal since I'm technically the strongest trainer in Kalos, and since no other champions are here, it wouldn't be a 'fair battle'",_ he thought bitterly. _"And two... well, why else do you think he's staring up towards the class with that intense gaze towards your master and Rose?"_

Nayru blinked at that, before muttering to herself, "Oh no."

"You there!" Kukui pointed directly towards Wes, grinning. "Why don't you come down here with your girlfriend? You two look like you can hold your own."

Different reactions came from this. Wes, on one hand, completely ignored the girlfriend comment, and practically squirmed through the rope barrier so quickly Jason could've sworn that he temporarily became a ghost type. Rose, on the other hand, blushed madly and stood up, screaming something about not being Wes's boyfriend, following after Wes with a glare towards Kukui. Nayru and Maple elected to stay behind, grinning at the comment that Kukui made.

"Now, for our fourth challenger..." Kukui muttered, but suddenly blanked. He did not plan this far ahead.

"I'll take you on!" a voice said, a voice that cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter. All eyes suddenly seemed drawn towards the upper balcony, where Gladion stood, glaring down at Kukui, fury in his eyes. Upon seeing him, everyone had reactions, though Lillie let out an audible gasp, wide-eyed as she stared at him, her lips looking like words were about to form, but were lost. He leapt down from the stands, walking up to the arena, looking from Kukui, to Rose, and finally to Wes, the fury in his eyes increasing. "Me and Null, we got to become stronger... and I also need to confirm something with you, weakling."

"Who are you calling a weakling?" Wes shot back, glaring.

"Alright, alright," Kukui sighed, stepping between them. "Don't talk with your words, talk with your Pokemon. If you want to confirm that Wes is worthy of Null, then he can show you in battle."

Gadion looked at Kukui, shocked. "Wait... how did you know about that?"

Kukui only smirked at that, "Please, I know Kukui very well. I know about all his students."

 _Yeah you do,_ both Jason and Nayru thought.

"I also know about you as well, Gladion," Kukui said, looking at the emo looking boy with piercing eyes. "Perhaps this match might teach you a thing or two. I'll inform the announcer of all your names, so we can get started straight away.

"Well, it looks like we got ourselves a match, folks!" the announcer shouted, the crowd once again cheering as Wes, Rose, Gladion and Kukui took their places on the stands outside of the arena, facing one another. Wes and Rose locked eyes for a moment, as if knowing what the other was thinking just then. Gladion was most likely going to gun straight for Wes, and Kukui was most likely going to gun for Gladion to teach him a 'lesson'. A plan was formed between them without a single word, a nod in conformation coming from them both.

"In the red conor, we have The Masked Royal!" the announcer shouted, "Who will be battling with his Lycanroc! In the blue corner, we have Rose! What will she choose?"

"Go, Brionne!" Rose commanded, throwing her Poke Ball into the air. Out from the ball popped the Pop Star Pokemon, who struck a pose with both of her flippers in the air.

"And Rose chooses her Brionne!" the announcer shouted. "In the green corner is Wes, who is holding a Lure Ball, so we might see another water type here folks!"

"Go, Sakura!" Wes yelled, throwing the Lure Ball into the air. Sakura appeared in a sea of sparkles, glistening in the lights that shined on the arena before landing gracefully on the floor. Several girls squealed at this, the beauty of Sakura capturing their hearts instantly.

"And Wes chooses a milotic named Sakura!" the announcer screamed out, trying to get his voice over the crowds cheers and the girly squeals. "And finally, we have Gladion in the yellow corner."

"Null, come forth!" Gladion huffed, throwing the Permire Ball. Out came the beastly creature,who looked mildly annoyed at the many eyes upon him.

"I-I've never seen that Pokemon before!" the announcer gasped. "But Gladion seemed to have called it Null, folks! Now, let the Battle Royal begin!"

"Null, attack that milotic with Tackle!" Gladion commanded.

 _I thought so,_ Wes thought to himself. "Sakura, Protect!" A green light barrier surrounded Sakura, which Null slammed into, barely cracking the barrier.

"Brionne, use Scald on Null!" Rose ordered. Brionne took a deep breath before exhaling a torrent of scorching hot water, which slammed into Null, sending the creature flying backwards.

"Don't forget about me," Kukui stated suddenly, pointing towards Sakura. "Use Taunt on Sakura!" Lycanroc howled what sounded like an insult, which Sakura immediately reacted to, glaring at Lycanroc in fury.

"Taunt?" Wes asked, looking confused.

"Taunt makes it so that your Pokemon can't use any moves that aren't an attacking move," Rose informed him. "Meaning that Sakura can't use Protect anymore!"

Wes grit his teeth, "Well fine... I wasn't going to defend again anyway! Sakura, use Scald on Null!" Sakura inhaled, letting out another torrent of water, which slammed into Null. The creature shook it off, before wincing in pain, a large red mark on his neck.

"Ooo, that Scald seems to have burned Null!" the announcer stated, the crowd going wild at the action. "That means that Null will take damage every few seconds, and his attack power is cut in half!"

Gladion glared in anger at this. "Null, use Crush Claw on Sakura!"

"Brionne, Aqua Jet!" Rose commanded. Before Null could charge, Brionne slammed into it, covered entirely in a stream of water. Null was taken aback by this, but still changed, his powerful claws slamming into Sakura.

"What is this?" the announcer exclaimed, looking back and forth between Wes and Rose. "I've never seen two trainers this in sync with one another!"

Kukui blinked at this, looking at the fight before him. "Well, guess we're going to have to remind them we are here! Lycanroc, use Stone Edge... on Null!" Lycanroc roared out, slamming his front paws into the ground, causing blue bolders to jet up from the ground before they slammed into Null, sending it flying into the air before he landed on the ground, knocked out.

"I would've won if you two hadn't ganged up on me," Gladion muttered.

"Keep telling yourself that," Rose snapped at him, glaring for a moment before turning to Kukui, then back to Wes. "Well, now we gotta deal with The Masked Royal."

"But we got double advantage," Wes stated, looking at the field. "We both have a water type compared to his rock type. I think we got this."

"Don't be too sure," Rose stated, looking worried. "He doesn't look worried at all... and don't forget you can't use Protect OR Recover for awhile!"

"I'll be fine!" Wes smirked, staring at Kukui. "You just keep up the pressure and I'll do what I can as well! Sakura, Ice Beam!" Sakura let out a beam of ice, which slammed into Lycanroc. Normally, an ice type move would've done massive damage against a Rock type, but Lycanroc seemed to shrug it off like it was nothing more then a mild gust of winter chill.

"Brionne, you use Ice Beam as well!" Rose commanded. Once again, a blast of ice slammed into Lycanroc again, but once again the wolf Pokemon shrugged it off. Rose grit her teeth at this, "Blast! I thought for sure one of us would freeze it."

"I see that you are attempting to disable my movements," Kukui pointed out, smirking. "Very clever of you two, to go for immobilizing me instead of taking me out with just pure power... however, it all ends in these next few rounds! Lycanroc, Thunder Fang!" Lycanroc's mouth opened, his teeth sparking with electrical current, before he dashed forward with incredible speed, chomping onto Brionne's tail. The sea lion Pokemon's eyes widened, a cry of pain escaping her, before she fell over knocked out.

"Brionne, return!" Rose stated, recalling her Pokemon. "Wes, go for it."

Wes nodded at her, looking down at Sakura, who still seemed to be fuming a bit. "Guess I still can't use Recover... Alright, Sakura use Scald!" Another torrent of boiling water flew out and slammed into Lycanroc, who yelped a bit but stood his ground, shaking it off.

"Lycanroc, Thunder Fang!" Kukui ordered, the wolf Pokemon racing forward again and chomping onto Sakura. For a moment, it looked like it was over, but Sakura suddenly opened her eyes, throwing off Lycanroc. "What!?" Kukui gasped in shock, before looking down at his Pokemon, and noticing the large red mark on his back, which caused him to smirk. "I see... you are lucky, Wes. The only reason you survived that last attack was cause of that burn that you inflicted on my Pokemon... however, you will not survive another round with your Pokemon that worn out!"

"I'll take my chance!" Wes shouted. "Sakura, Recover!"

"Accelerock!" Kukui commanded. It looked like the Taunt had worn off, and Sakura was about to heal herself, but the sudden speed that came from Lycanroc was the deciding factor. Lycanroc slammed into Sakura, sending her falling to the ground, her eyes closed and unable to continue battling.

"And it is over!" the announcer bellowed, the crowd once again erupting into a frenzy of cheers and roars. "Despite coming close, Wes fell in the end and The Masked Royal wins again! What a champion!"

Wes sighed, recalling Sakura, but a smile was etched onto his face. "Thank you, Sakura. You did very well!" Rose walked up to Wes, a smile on her face as well, however Gladion simply huffed, turning and walking away before anyone could stop him from leaving.

"You two did very well," Kukui said, grinning at them and nodding in approval. "Not even some of my usual opponents did as well and gave me this kind of battle. As much as I would like you two to battle me everyday, I know that isn't possible."

"I wish I could to, but duty calls, ya know," Wes grinned. Rose stayed silent, however, looking curiously at the Masked Royal, who only nodded at them before ushering them out of the ring. Since battles were over for the day, they began to leave the arena, with Wes and Rose hanging back a bit, walking near Jason.

"Hey, Wes?" Rose asked, looking over at him. "Did something about The Masked Royal seem... familiar to you?" Jason perked up at this, watching Wes and Rose with anticipation.

"What do you mean?" Wes asked her, looking confused.

"I mean, like we've known him for a while," Rose suggested, looking back at the arena. "I just feel like he's someone we know under that mask."

 _Looks like Rose has figured it out... now, let's see if Wes can pick up on it,_ Jason thought, glancing at the boy.

Wes thought about it for a moment, before shrugging in dismissal. "I really don't know what you are getting at."

... _I am disappointed, but not terribly surprised..._

"Anyway, we shouldn't worry about a silly thing like come conspiracy theory on who the Royal is," Wes grinned, looking at the sky as they stepped outside of the Battle Royal Dome. "We got tomorrow's trial to worry about, and I don't intend on failing it! Come on, Rose! Let's go do some training when we get back."

"Guess it can't be helped," Rose sighed, but smirked all the same. "All right then, let's go!"

In front of them, however, Lillie was walking with her eyes looking over her shoulder, staring right at Wes and Rose in confusion, only one thought was on her mind; _How do they know my brother?_


	14. Lush Jungle

**So, I actually managed to write this at work. Long story short, I worked on Memorial Day, and it was so dead that I just ended up writing this chapter on my Microsoft Surface tablet, which I originally took to work to just watch YouTube videos (which I also ended up doing). So yeah that was fun.**

 **Thanks to pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 13, and thanks to The King of Emerald as always for Beta Reading. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Torchic (Permier Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

"Inigo, use Flamethrower!"

"Salandit, use Flamethrower as well!"

The two Pokemon inhaled before unleashing a stream of fire from their mouth and beak, aiming it at the other fire type they were facing. The two attacks met in midair and created a small explosion, which kicked up some smoke that cleared in only a few moments. Inigo suddenly flashed a green light for a moment, before he chirped and began running in place.

"Come on, Inigo, focus!" Wes commanded. "Use Peck!"

"Use Smog!" Rose shouted. Salandit inhaled and unleashed a cloud of purple smoke, which Inigo darted around, before jumping up and pecking Salandit over and over. The female lizard Pokemon growled in anger before swishing her tail, knocking Inigo off, who chirped with excitement and darted around the battlefield, a green streak of light following in his wake.

"Inigo, use Shadow Claw!" Wes ordered, however the baby chick Pokemon was far from listening at this point, as he ran around without a care in the world. Wes sighed, shaking his head. "Well, so much for that."

"Inigio is great, don't get me wrong," Rose muttered, sweat dropping as she watched what looked like a green orb of light dart around. "But don't you think it would be better to use a more… er, reliable Pokemon tomorrow?"

"Inigo's fire typing makes him perfect for Lush Jungle's trial though," Wes mumbled, recalling Inigo into the Permire Ball. "And besides, he was doing really well that time. He listened to my orders until the second Speed Boost kicked in. If I can only maintain control of him after that, we got this in the bag."

"I know," Rose stated, looking at the ball Wes was holding. "We taught them Flamethrower via TM, and planned out how we will go about the battle… but grass Pokemon have other weaknesses, ya know. Flying, Bug, Ice and Poison."

"Name one Pokemon on my team that has one of those types," Wes muttered angrily at Rose.

"Sakura with Ice Beam, and Faye with her actual typing," Rose immediately stated, making Wes puff his cheeks and blush. "Nayru could also hold her own very well against any grass type, and despite you not wanting to use him… you do have Zero."

Wes looked down at that, pulling out the Luxury Ball from his belt and looking at the ball with a worried expression on his face. The image of Zero darting towards the Poipole with the intent to kill ringing through his mind like a nightmare, causing him to shake his head and put the ball away. "No, not Zero. But you're right… maybe I should start with someone else…"

Rose nodded, looking at Wes knowingly. "Let's come up with another plan. We still got till tomorrow to figure everything out, but it doesn't hurt to maybe think ahead right now. After all, who knows what Pokemon we will be facing, and what the trial tomorrow could hold."

"Maybe you two should take a break," a voice said, snapping them both out of thought. Coming up to the practice field was Jason, followed by Nayru and Maple. "Dinner is almost ready, and if you two practice anymore I'm afraid the hotel staff will charge us extra."

"What do you mean?" Wes asked, though Jason need only point to show Wes what he was talking about. The battlefield was covered in black scorch marks from all the flamethrowers that were launched during the battle, almost completely covering it. Wes and Rose both sweat dropped and paled, nervously laughing as two hotel managers came outside, jaws dropped at the sight. After a brief apology towards the staff, they got to work attempting to clean the field as Wes and Rose followed Jason and their Pokemon inside, sitting down at a small table where Em was already sitting, waiting patiently with food on their plates.

The rest of the night was mostly spent planning, and by the time the sun rose both Wes and Rose were ready. All of the students met in the hotel lobby like normal, before following Jason as he lead them out onto Route 8 and onto the path that lead them into Lush Jungle. He sighed, turning to them as they stood at the entrance of the jungle, counting all the students to make sure they were all there before clearing his throat. "Right… anyway this is where we part ways. I will be holding class here, while Em goes with Wes and Rose into the jungle to meet up with Mallow and complete their trial."

"Wait, why am I going with them?" Em asked, pouting at Jason. "I wanted to stay here with you!"

"Because I think you would be less bored watching them do their trial instead of watching me teach," Jason pointed out. "And besides, I don't want you interrupting my class again."

"Who says I would do that?" Em innocently questioned, though Jason raised an eyebrow at that, instantly seeing through her innocent act. "I'll be good, I promise."

"Your fingers are crossed," Jason pointed out, causing Em to let out a small squeak. Jason sighed, walking up to her and pulling her into what looked like a hug, though Wes and Rose clearly saw that he was muttering into her ear. "Listen, Esmeralda, if you interrupt my class again I will get you."

"What are you going to do, tickle me with the-"

"No," Jason interrupted her pushing her away just enough so that she can see the serious look on her face. "I will get you myself."

This caused Em's face to light up like a red traffic light, "Y-you're bluffing."

"I used your full name, didn't I?" Jason asked, before turning to Wes and Rose, who were watching this display with mild amusement and some confusion. "You two, go on ahead. If you delay any longer Mallow is going to leave and you two will miss your trial."

That was all the convincing they needed to shrug, turn around, and start heading off in the opposite direction. About ten seconds later, they heard a shout as Em raced after them, her face even redder then it was before, which seemed impossible from the blush on her face earlier. They didn't have to walk long before reaching a clearing in the jungle path, where they found a girl around their age standing there. She wore a grey outfit which looked like a pair of overalls, with short pants with white frills coming out of them. Her green hair had a pink flower in it, and matching green eyes looked at them with glee, as she waved them over.

"Alright, you're here!" the girl, who Wes assumed was Mallow, said to them with a grin. "Welcome to the sight of my trial! I, Mallow, will be your trial captain today, and your first task is to gather ingredients from the jungle for me!"

"That's it?" Wes asked, tilting his head and looking a little disappointed. "I thought this would be a bit more interesting."

"Wes," Rose hissed, elbowing him. "Be nice! I apologize for him, Mallow."

But the green haired trial captain didn't seem bothered by this at all, in fact, she was smirking at Wes with a devilish look on her face. "You want excitement, huh? What if I told you that the ingredients are guarded by Pokemon? You need to gather the ones that aren't guarded by Pokemon, or they will come after you. Each one of the ingredients is in an area where wild Pokemon can be hiding, and if you grab an ingredient that was a Pokemon's food, well, they're going to come after you!"

Wes blinked, before smirking, "Alright, that's more like it!"

"So, what do we need to gather?" Rose asked.

"First, a Mago Berry," Mallow started, pointing down the path to their immediate left. "In that area you will find some bushes were some wild Pokemon make their home. Second, some Honey," this time, Mallow pointed to the path behind her. "You'll find a nest with some honey in it that way, and finally you need a big root," she now pointed to the right. "That area is covered in trees, and you'll find that some of them have dropped their roots. Of course, the trees can be Pokemon, so watch out! You can use this sack to hold the ingredients you collect."

 _Trees that are Pokemon?_ Wes thought, looking confused as he took the sack from Mallow.

"No using your Pokemon to help you determine where a Pokemon is hiding, either!" Mallow immediately said, looking at Nayru in particular. "That would be cheating! If it up to the trainer to determine where the Pokemon are, after all, keen eyes and a sense of what is around you is important for all trainers to have. If the trainer isn't alert, then how can he expect the Pokemon to be alert as well? Of course, once you crack the code, then you can use your Pokemon to help out, but only in ways that you could determine where Pokemon are as well, such as using your eyes."

Em yawned a little, stretching. "Well, this should be interesting. Alright, lead on you two, I'll be here for sagely advice if you need me."

"By the way," Rose asked, looking over at Em as the three of them headed down the left path towards where the Mago Berry was waiting for them. "I've been meaning to ask, how did you meet Jason anyway, let alone begin dating him?"

"Well, the dating part I am sure you already know was thanks to a Pokemon called Xerneas…" Em muttered, glaring at Nayru. "Thanks to a certain psychic fairy of yours."

"You flatter me," Nayru grinned, not needing to reads Em's mind to tell that Jason wasn't happy with that bit of information being leaked out into the world.

"As for how we met," Em sighed, looking up as if seeing something other than the tree leaves hanging above them. "I was a beginner trainer in Kalos, and I made a big mistake of battling him with only my starter, thinking it'd be an easy win. I was dead wrong, and he creamed me with one move. Surprisingly, he offered to let me tag along so I could learn how to be not only a better trainer... but a better friend to my pokémon." She chuckled a bit. "Almost months later, he's got me figured out, and I developed a huge crush on him... without knowing he felt the same."

"So, you basically wormed your way into his heart," Rose sighed. "That's romantic… in a twisted kind of way."

"Enough mushy talk," Wes said, looking around at the four bushes that they had come across in a clearing. Wes noticed a berry growing on each bush, though the feeling of him being watched was looming over him like a dark storm cloud. "We're here… now how can we tell which bush isn't hiding a Pokemon."

Rose inhaled, trying to think, but her eyes opened as she sniffed the air. "Hey, do you smell that or is it just me?"

Wes looked at her weirdly before taking a sniff for himself, his red eyes lighting up a bit. "Hey, I smell it too… it smells sweet, almost like a sea of flowers."

"Maybe that smell is coming from the Pokemon hiding in the bushes," Rose suggested. "Let's smell the bushes and see if one of them smells different from the others! I guarantee you that is the one without a Pokemon in it!"

 _Well, that figured that one out quickly._ Em said, looking at them with a look of impressed wonder. _Now let_ _'_ _s see if they can complete the other two tasks without needing my assistance._

"A sweet smell is coming from this one," Em noted, looking over at Maple and Nayru. "What about those two?"

"It's sweet smelling over here," Nayru confirmed, with Maple nodding.

"Mine smells like a sour raisin," Wes blinked, looking grossed out but smiling at the same time. "I think we found our berry, guys!" He plucked the berry from the bush, putting it gently into the sack.

"Next is Honey," Rose noted, looking back down the path. "That one should, hopefully, be easier to find."

"So, I got a question, Wes," Em asked, as they headed back down the path they had taken to get to the clearing. "You said you didn't have a father, yet from what I remember, a father figure of yours wanted you to come to this school in the first place. Jason assumes your mom remarried, is that correct?" Wes seemed to look distressed at this, which caused Em to pale a bit. "S-sorry if I am getting too personal."

"Nah, it's fine," Wes smiled sadly, nodding. "Yeah, my step-dad has been in my life since I was five. He's a great guy, though I knew from an early age that I didn't have a real dad. He's also busy with his own Pokemon Training so he's constantly out of the house, so sadly I don't see him much, but at the very least he's… somewhat there for me, unlike my actual dad." Wes quickly cleared his throat, and before anyone else could say anything he spoke again. "So, honey would have a sweet smell to it, wouldn't it? I assume it's going to be like the berry but in reverse."

Rose, sensing that Wes wanted to change the topic, just went along with it, though she watched Wes with a worried look on her face. "I assume so, but let's not jump to conclusions. For all we know, the next location could be all sweet smelling and we have to detect it by something else." Sure enough, when they got to the clearing there was more bushes, and a sweet aroma filled the air, but all four bushes smelled the same, the aroma of honey drowning out any other smell in the area.

"Well, that bites," Wes grumbled, looking at the bushes angrily. "Dumb bushes and their flowers…" That's when he suddenly looked suspicious, eyeing each bush again before turning to Rose. "Hey, notice how each bush has flowers on it?"

"Yeah," Rose muttered, looking at Wes with annoyance. "No duh, now let me think!"

"But that's just it," Wes said again, pointing at one bush in particular. "That one has four flowers, while the rest have five. Did you notice that the other three also seem to be moving a tiny bit more then the bush with only four flowers?"

Rose blinked, before looking at the bushes again. "Hey, you're right! Wow, how did I not notice that? So, I guess that fifth flower is a Pokemon, so we should gather honey from the bush with only four flowers."

"Already on it," Wes said, scooping the honey from the bush into a jar that was in the sack, before putting it back into the bag with the berry in tow. "Alright, now onto the final area!" Though their spirts were high, it was immediately dashed when they got to the last area. There were five trees, each one of them short, around four feet tall, with two branches jutting out from either side of the tree. Wes and Rose both looked distraught, and Wes even let out a groan. "Well, then."

"Okay, so if the first trial was smell, and the second was sight, what could this one be?" Rose asked, looking confused at each tree. "They all look the same, so it must be…"

"A mental game to test our wits?" Wes suggested, walking up to a tree. "I bet you these are all just regular, old trees-"

"STOP!" Em suddenly shouted, causing Wes to go tumbling back. "Those are Sudowoodo!"

"A-who-a-what?" Wes asked, looking confused.

"Rotom?" Rose asked.

"Well, I cannot scan the tree to confirm it due to trial rules, but I do know the Pokemon she is talking about, zzt!" Rotom said, bringing up a picture of the tree, but it now had eyes and an open mouth when displayed on screen. "Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokemon. Sudowoodo camouflages itself as a tree to avoid being attacked by enemies. However, because its hands remain green throughout the year, the Pokémon is easily identified as a fake during the winter."

"Oh, its name means false wood," Rose realized, looking at Rotom dex.

"They grew overtime to look like a small tree that occurs naturally," Em pointed out, looking towards the five trees before them. "But they are rock type, not grass types, and therefore not true wood."

Wes looked at the four foot tall thing in front of him, reaching out and touching it, his eyes going wide. "That is definitely a rock." It suddenly shifted, causing Wes to recoil and back up, before the Pokemon grew still once again. "Well, it isn't this one."

"Really, you touched it?" Em snapped at him, glaring a little. "You can't tell the difference between wood and a rock using your eyes?"

"In my defense, it is very good camouflage," Wes shot back, standing up and looking closely. "Although now that you mention it, the Sudowoodo seem to have a more streamline appearance."

"Hey, this tree looks a bit more jagged," Rose pointed out, touching it. "And it isn't moving, plus it feels like real wood! I think we got our root!"

"You're touching it too!" Em sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well, at least you determined it was a real tree before touching it... alright, let's head back to Mallow, before one of you pisses off the Pokemon around here."

So with ingredients in hand, the three trainers returned to Mallow, who was standing there with a grin, her hands on her hips. "Got them all, huh? Well alright, I'll start cooking and we'll see if you stole these from any Pokemon. If you did, they'd most likely attack around now."

"Trust me, I think we got them all without aggravating anything," Rose stated confidently. Sure enough, as Mallow threw in each ingredient, nothing was coming to reclaim them, so they seemed to have successfully done what they needed to do without irritating anyone. Of course, this didn't mean they were completely safe, Wes and Rose both knew the Totem Pokemon had to be around here somewhere, and judging by the smell coming from whatever Mallow was making, it was designed specifically to attract what they were going to fight.

"And right on cue!" Mallow suddenly said, looking up and grinning. "Hi, Lurantis!"

"What now?" Wes paled, looking behind him. Rose also looked behind her and both trainers leapt back, letting out a cry of shock. Standing there was a giant, mantis like Pokemon, the top half of its head light pink, with the bottom half white. It has light red eyes and two green antennae with a small green lump between them. There were four extensions to the top half of its head: two on the top with red tips that resemble ears, and one on each side with white tips that are similar to stylized hair. It had a light pink body with short extensions around the waist and a green abdomen and neck. Its thin, white arms end in large, red scythes which swayed in anticipation, watching Wes and Rose before letting out a cry.

"Rotom!" Wes shouted, pointing toward Lurantis.

"Lurantis, the Bloom Sickle Pokemon, zzt," Rotom stated, showing an image of the grass type. "As it slashes into its enemies, it looks like it's dancing. Its elegant appearance has led some to call it the most glamorous Grass Pokémon. It fires beams from its sickle-shaped petals. These beams are powerful enough to cleave through thick metal plates."

"Well, guess it's time to put our plan into motion," Wes shouted, throwing his Level Ball. "Go, Faye!"

"Alright, go Riolu!" Rose shouted, throwing her Ultra Ball. Out of both balls popped the Pokemon in question, staring down the Lurantis with determination. Almost immediately, the Lurantis called out again, causing a green lizard like Pokemon with a red stripe on his belly to appear out of nowhere.

"What is that thing?" Rose asked, looking confused at the creature.

"It's a Kecleon!" Wes shouted, looking surprised. "They are native to Hoenn, but are pretty rare even there! I didn't think that one would be out here."

"Allow me," Rotom sparked, displaying an image of the Pokemon. "Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokemon. It changes its hue to blend into its surroundings. If no one takes notice of it for too long, it will pout and never reveal itself. This Pokemon has the natural ability to change it's type, but only depending on the move it was last hit with."

"To the move it was last hit with, huh?" Wes thought, grinning a bit. "Rose, I'll focus on the Lurantis. You think you can take out that Kecleon?"

"If it changes type depending on what attacks it is hit by, I think I can!" Rose grinned.

"Alright, Faye, use Silver Wind!" Wes commanded. Faye flew into the air and unleashed a gust of sparkling wind, which slammed into Lurantis. Despite the move being a bug type attack, the creature didn't seem too bothered by it, shaking off the move like it was nothing. Suddenly, the Kecleon roared into the sky, which seemed to suddenly cause the sun to shine brighter than before.

"It used Sunny Day!" Rose shouted. "Riolu, Payback!" Riolu charged forward, before slamming into Kecleon, who hissed in pain, flashing a little as it recovered.

 _I see,_ Mallow thought, grinning. _She is taking advantage of not only the doubled power Payback gets due to Kecleon making a move before Riolu, but changing it_ _'_ _s type to Dark so that she can hit it with a fighting type move for Super Effective damage… however._

"Rose, look out!" Wes shouted. Rose's eyes went wide, as Lurantis suddenly began gathering light between its hands, the light suddenly shooting out as a stream of energy, before the Pokemon slashed it like a sword, the attack slamming into Riolu and sending it flying back. When the smoke cleared, Riolu wasn't moving, puffing heavily from the damage.

"Riolu, return!" Rose shouted, recalling the injured Pokemon. "What was that attack?"

"Solar Blade," Mallow commented. "The pokemon charges up light energy from the sun using photosynthesis, before unleashing it as a powerful blade of energy. Since it is so sunny, Lurantis could use it instantly due to the sun giving off intense light."

"I see," Rose sighed, looking over at Wes. "Sorry I couldn't take out Kecleon."

"No worries, you did change it's type to Dark, so I can use Faye's fairy attacks," Wes grinned, lookingat her. "You just go onto part two of our plan!"

"Right," Rose nodded, taking out her Luxury Ball. "Go, Salandit!" The lizard Pokemon emerged from the ball, clicking her jaws as she stared down the Lurantis, unimpressed by what she was facing.

"Faye, use Moonblast on the Kecleon!" Wes commanded. Faye charged up a ball of pink energy, sending it flying down at Kecleon, who took the blast and instantly was sent flying into the bushes. Due to the damage it suffered from being a dark type, it did not re-emerge to join the battle. Lurantis roared out, charging up another Solar Blade, this one slamming into Faye. Despite being a bug type, she seemed to suffer major damage from the attack, but was hovering still in the air, shivering a little as she tried to maintain flight.

"Faye, return!" Wes commanded, recalling the injured Pokemon. "Go, Inigo!" Wes threw the Permire Ball into the air, sending out the shiny Torchic, which caught Mallow's attention for a brief moment. "Inigo, please try and contain yourself this time."

"Salandit, Flamethrower!" Rose commanded, the lizard Pokemon obeying and sending out a jet of fire. Salandit's attack connected, causing Lutantis to scream in pain, falling onto a knee before getting back up. Suddenly, it's eyes flashed white, as it's body began to glow the same color, the injuries that it had suffered slowly vanishing before their eyes.

"That was Synthesis!" Em shouted at them. "Because of the sun, it healed a much larger portion of damage then it would've otherwise!"

"Well then, we just need to burn it down before it can heal again!" Wes shouted, pointing. "Inigo, Flamethrower!" Inigo breathed in, sending out a stream of fire.

"Salandit, use your Flamethrower too!" Rose commanded, with the lizard Pokemon sending out another stream of fire. The two jets of flame swirled together, slamming into Lurantis, and inflicting major damage. The three Pokemon faced off for a moment, neither side moving at all. Suddenly, Inigo glowed with bright green light again, and Wes knew he only had seconds to act before Inigo lost control.

"Peck, Inigo!" Wes commanded. Lurantis looked like it was about to use Synthesis again, but with Inigo's speed boost taking effect, he was fast enough to stop the grass type. With a sudden burst of energy, Inigo raced forward and slammed his beak into Lurantis, knocking it to the ground. The grass type didn't move, signaling that Wes and Rose has defeated it successfully.

"Alright, we won!" both trainers shouted, exchanging a double high five with the other.

"Congratulations, you two defeated my Totem Pokemon," Mallow praised them, stepping forward. "And it looks like your efforts are going to be well rewarded. Just look at your Torchic!" Sure enough, despite dancing in a happy energy fit due to Speed Boost, a blue glow also surrounded Inigo, who began to grow in size before the glow stopped, revealing his new form. Most of Inigo's upper body was now a golden yellow, while most of the lower body was a reddish orange, and a matching crest on three feathers on his head. Inigo now had three, sharp claws at the ends of its long arms instead of wings, and scaly, gray legs with well-developed thighs covered in shaggy feathers.

"Ingio evolved into Combuskin!" Rotom said in glee. "Combuskin, the Young Fowl Pokemon. Combusken battles with the intensely hot flames it spews from its beak and with outstandingly destructive kicks. This Pokémon's cry is very loud and distracting." Inigo gave what looked like a grin at that, giving Wes a thumbs up with his new claw hands.

"Well, let's hope your evolution let's you control your Speed Boosts now!" Wes laughed, petting the fire type.

"Combuskin is also a fighting type?" Rose asked, reading the information that Rotom was displaying on the screen.

"Yeah, which means he can now use fighting type moves as well," Wes commented, smiling.

"And you also get this!" Mallow said, holding out two green crystals. "The Grassium Z! Oh, oh, now that your trial is complete, let's all eat!" At this, Wes, Rose and Em all paled, unwilling to try the dish Mallow whipped up if it could send the Lurantis into a frenzy like that. After some polite-ish denying, the three trainers left and headed back to the enterance of the forest, where Jason was in the middle of a lecture about berries and the different properties a berry can have when used by a Pokemon. Wes and Rose sat down with the rest of the class to listen, while Em crossed her arms and leaned against a nearby tree, slowly looking more and more bored, until finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm borrreeeedddddd!" she whined.

As soon as it was out of her mouth, Em quickly covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide as her face turned tomato red. Jasong gave her a glare, before calling out Cedric. "Muffle her. She's interrupted us for the last time."

With that, the ghost-grass type flew over, firmly covering her mouth with his wing as Jason walked over, looking her in the eye as she attempted a muffled protest. "I don't care if you forgot or not, Esmeralda. A promise is a promise. Besides..." At this, he leaned in, whispering in her ear as he smirked. "... I knew you'd say it anyway."

Em's struggling and protest stopped immediately, as she stared after him when he walked away, her face somehow turning brighter red than ever before.

"Do we want to-" Wes began, before getting interrupted by Nayru immediately.

"No. No you do not."


	15. Swarm of Eevee

**Usual authors note will be at the end of the chapter. There is a reason for this, but please read the chapter then go down there for the authors note. It is important, trust me.**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your lesson?"

Jason sighed, his eyes glued onto the TV that was in their hotel room. Currently showing on the screen was a news woman with glasses on, who was talking about another victory that the Masked Royal had recently in the Battle Dome. "Not much of a lesson honestly. We're just kinda going back to Route 8 and reviewing stuff."

"Well, sadly you still are a teacher, Mr. Grump," Em snickered, causing Jason to give her the side-eye at the nickname. "Besides, you're happiest when around Pokemon, so I don't see why going to study wild Pokemon again is that big of a deal."

"It's not," Jason commented, once again looking at the TV. "It's dealing with the students that I don't look forward to… sure, they're good kids and all, but I know that someone is going to have a comment about how all we're doing is review and that they should've played hooky."

"Eh, well, there's always one student," Em admitted, flipping through the brochure on Alola they had in their hotel room, her eyes sadly looking at an advertisement for a beach that was just outside of the hotel room.

"He currently holds an undefeated record in the Battle Royal Dome," the news lady stated, finishing her story on the Masked Royal. "In other news, a swarm of Eevee have begun to appear on Route 4 and Route 5." This caused Jason to immediately perk up, looking wide-eyed at the TV. "Otherwise known as a Pokemon Outbreak, these swarms happen very rarely, and researchers are still unsure on what exactly causes them. Trainers, if you were looking to add Eevee to your roster, now might be a good time to go out and get one!"

Em looked at the picture of Eevee on the TV, then immediately to Jason, whose eyes still were fixated on the TV. The green haired girl sighed, giving a small grin, "Change of lesson plans?"

"You better believe it," Jason replied, grinning from ear to ear as he stood up and began to prepare for the day.

XxXxXxX

"That awkward moment when your teacher is late," Wes muttered, groaning a little as he paced in the lobby of the hotel room they were staying at.

"Wes," Rose hissed, clearly not pleased.

"To be fair, he is rather tardy," Juan noted, eyeing the stairs that lead to the second floor of the hotel they were staying at. "I wonder what has him so tied up?"

"Maybe he's sick?" Chole suggested, looking a bit worried at the proposition.

"Or maybe he's just playing hooky?" a student suggested, looking like he wanted to do the same thing.

"From how he acts, I doubt that is the case," Lillie pointed out.

It was then they heard hurried footsteps from above, and before they knew it Jason had slid into view. Literally. Instead of taking the stairs, he was sliding down the railing at a rapid speed, coming to a halt at the bottom where he leapt off the rail just in time to prevent himself from falling off, landing and looking at his students with a grin on his face, as if he did not just uncharacteristically appeared before them.

"Change of lesson plans, boys, girls, and those of unspecified gender," Jason stated, pulling out his ride pager. "We're going to learn about Eevee today! I'm calling the Tauros and were heading out to Route 4!"

"I'm sorry what?" a bunch of students suddenly said.

"But Professor," Rose stated, looking a bit sheepish. "Isn't Eevee incredibly rare and hard to find? How are we going to get one to study?"

"First of all, don't call me that," Jason scolded, but it didn't seem like that much of a scold as he seemed in too good of a mood to actually get angry. "And you're right, under normal cases Eevee are very hard to find and therefore it would be very difficult for us to find one to observe. Lucky for us, however, a Pokemon Outbreak of them has just begun on Route 4 and Route 5, so there will be plenty for us to observe."

"Pokemon Outbreak?" Wes asked, confused.

"Essentially, a swarm of rare Pokemon in a particular area," Juan explained. "Most researchers believe that it is for savaging or gathering reasons, but the exact cause of outbreaks are still unknown."

"Exactly," Jason nodded. "And today is our lucky day before Eevee happen to be swarming Route 4 and 5, and since I wanted to do a lesson on Eevee anyway, now is the perfect time."

 _I feel like he didn't actually plan on a lesson of Eevee at all and that this is just an excuse,_ Wes thought.

"So, let's go, our rides are here," Jason happily exclaimed, walking faster than any normal human normally would. Em sighed but smiled all the same as she followed him outside, leading the students who were still looking somewhat confused. All students eventually were on a Tauros, and an impatient Jason began to lead the pack, though at a faster pace then they were at when they were to the breeding ranch, forcing many students to cling onto their particular Tauros in fear of falling off.

"What is so special about Eevee anyway?" a student asked.

"Well, they are incredibly rare," Jason explained, looking at the student for a few moments in utter shock at how they couldn't know about Eevee. "Eevee is also very versatile, and cute as well. They can evolve into one of eight currently known different forms, the most of any Pokemon in the world. I say eight because their genetic structure is very unstable, and they adapt to almost any and all environments. Who knows, in the future brand-new types of Eevee may be discovered just because of more mutations in the gene pool. It's happened before."

"Eight different evolved forms?" the student said in awe.

"Yeah," Was turned, holding up his hand to count them off. "The water type Vaporeon, the electric type Jolteon, the fire type Flareon, the psychic type Espeon, the dark type Umbreon, the grass type Leafeon, the ice type Glaceon, and the fairy type Sylveon."

"How did you know that?" Rose asked, stunned. "Eevee aren't native to Hoenn."

"Doesn't mean I don't know about them," Wes pointed out. "Almost every trainer has heard of Eevee at one point or another, since they are so popular."

"Their popularity is what causes them to be so rare in the wild, however," Juan stated. "Most Eevee, or evolved forms of the Pokemon, are pets or owned by trainers. In fact, most trainers get Eevee though breeding just because of this."

"One of our eggs could've been an Eevee, but I guess that would've made the other students too jealous so they didn't think that was a good idea," Chole muttered.

"Well, at least one of us did get lucky with their egg," Rose pointed out, giving Wes the side-eye.

"What'd I do?" Wes asked, not liking her look, but sighed as he brushed it off. "Well, whatever, either way this is a great opportunity! I need a sixth team member, and Eevee would be-"

"No," Jason instantly said, looking over his shoulder at Wes. "We are there to observe, not capture. At another point you might get lucky enough to obtain an Eevee, but while we are in lessons you cannot capture anything."

"But, Rose did," Wes pointed out.

"Don't shift the blame to me!" Rose shot back, glaring.

Jason sighed at that. "Rose caught her Salandit because it wanted to join up with her, plus you two weren't technically part of the lesson at the time, so that gets an exception. However, while we are studying there are to be no captures. Besides, like Juan said, Eevee are rare in the wild. If you really want one, see if you can get one from a breeder."

Wes grumbled at that, his brain on overdrive. Jason seemed to ignore this, however, as they passed the sign that read 'Route 4', the Tauros huffing a bit at the long haul and the pace that had to keep the entire way there. Jason patted one, apologizing softly before leading the students into an open field, where sure enough some Eevee were either sniffing around or at play.

"Halt, here is good for observation," Jason noted.

"They're so cute!" Chole gasped, looking stary-eyed at them. "I've never seen one up close before!"

Rotom flew out of Rose's purse, "This is great time for some pictures and maybe a PokeDex reading! Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon, zzt. An extremely rare Pokémon that may evolve in a number of different ways depending on stimuli. The question of why only Eevee has such unstable genes has still not been solved."

"Let's be careful not to startle them," Jason noted, looking over his shoulder at the few Eevee that were eyeing them. "Anyway, who knows what the unofficial term for Eevee's evolved forms are?"

"Eeveelution, correct?" Rose answered.

"Correct," Jason grinned, before gesturing to the Eevee. "Eevee's evolutions all also have 'eon' in their names at the end, and additionally was one of the first Pokemon discovered that can evolve into different forms, a trait known as a branched evolution. Due to this, and the fact that it can evolve into eight entirely different Pokemon with eight different types, it is very sought after by trainers." Jason grinned at an Eevee approaching them, and began to bend down to pick it up.

"W-wait, Professor!" Lillie gasped, shocked. However, she need not worry, as Jason stood back up with the wild Eevee in his arms, stretching underneath the chin of the brown fox looking Pokemon, who was cooing in joy. "H-how are you doing that?"

"I like Pokemon better then people," Jason stated, continuing to scratch the Eevee.

"B-but that's not an excuse!"

"It is to me."

 _I'm more concerned about the fact that he is making baby noises at it._ Wes thought, listening to Jason as he stretched the Eevee gently, indeed making cutesy noises.

"Alright, I want you all splitting into groups of three to five," Jason stated, looking at his students. "Observe the Eevee and take time to study them in their natural state, which I assure you is very rare and should be treated as a treat. Not even researchers get to do this, so savor it. The outbreak won't last forever, so don't waste it by scaring them or anything stupid. And not a single Eevee is to be caught!"

So with disgruntled sighs and disappointment, the students went off to begin studying the Eevee. Under the watchful eyes of Jason and Em, they were sure not to do anything that even suggested they were going to catch the Eevee, despite most of them wanting to really bad. Chole and Lillie especially, who were big fans of cute Pokemon, were struggling to comply with the rules, practically drooling over the Eevee like they were an expensive dinner and they hadn't eaten in days.

"Hey, don't you think it's weird that none of them are evolving?" Rose asked. "You think if they are that unstable, we'd either see an evolution or at the very least an evolved form with them, don't ya think Wes …Wes?" Rose turned, but the trainer in question was gone, with Nayru also nowhere to be found. "Oh, for Mew's sake!"

"Maybe he went to the bathroom," Juan suggested.

"No, knowing him, he's about to get into trouble again," Rose sighed, shaking her head. "I swear, that kid."

Sure enough, Rose was on the money, as Wes was sneaking through the tall grass as low as possible, practically army crawling on his stomach as he went, stopping to part the tall grass and staring at what looked like a mother Eevee and a bunch of babies, who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Nayru sighed, not trying to blend in as much as she was a Pokemon to. "You're acting stupid, master."

"Oh come on, Nayru, you gotta admit an Eevee on the team would be awesome!" Wes groaned in a wanting way. "We're only gonna get this chance, and dammit am I gonna take it!"

"And how are you going to explain this to Jason when he finds out?" Nayru asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet," Wes admitted, causing Nayru to sweatdrop. "But hey, maybe if I let him pet the Eevee, he'll forget all about it!"

"That's about as likely as you running into a legendary Pokemon," Nayru grumbled, clearly not comfortable with this plan.

"Let's go that way," Wes muttered, pointing to his left. "For some reason, that mother Eevee keeps looking over here like she's expecting something." Wes began to move, but a soft yet sudden yelp caught his attention. He raised his body a bit and looked down, his eyes suddenly going wide in shock. Lying there injured was an Eevee with snow white fur, dyed slightly crimson from blood. The creature weakly was eyeing Wes with coal, black eyes with showed fear.

"D-did you just find a shiny?" Nayru asked, looking stunned.

"He's hurt," Wes immediately said, picking up the Eevee, which didn't fight back due to weakness, and stood up. When he did, the Eevee babies scattered, with the mother Eevee hissing a bit, looking at what was in Wes' arms. Nayru seemed to instantly understand the situation, and stepped forward.

"You… did this to him, didn't you?" She growled, getting ready to blast the mother.

"Forget it," Wes ordered.

"But-" Nayru whimpered, but one look at Wes' face told her immediately not to protest.

"Eevee's safety is more important," Wes ordered, racing off. Nayru looked after him, and glared at the mother Eevee for a moment before gliding after her master, as she was faster gliding through the air then running. Hearing them approach, Jason turned to reprimand Wes for going off on his own, but one look at what was in Wes' arms instantly made his jaw stop and caused him to freeze in shock.

"Get out of my way!" Wes shouted at a few students blocking the road, which instantly obeyed. "Injured Eevee coming through!"

"W-Wes!?" Rose shouted, chasing after him. "Wait!"

Jason stood their frozen for a few more moments, before walking away from the students off into the woods. Only Em noticed this, who followed after him. Once he was sure he was out of sight from the students, he instantly wrapped his right arm over his mouth, and wrapped his left one over the right one, before letting out a blood curling muffled scream that, despite being muffled, made Em flinch. Jason's face turned a very bright shade of red, before he dropped both arms and weakly drooped a bit, panting.

"Wow… I haven't ever seen you get that bad before," Em admitted, looking a bit scared.

"Three," he growled. "Freaking three! How lucky can one kid be!? People are lucky to even get one, and this kid gets- …ok no, that's it."

"W-where are you going!?" Em asked, as he stormed off.

"Nayru and Inigio are one thing," Jason hissed. "But to have a shiny of one of my favorite Pokemon out of sheer dumb luck? Not gonna fly!"

"Aren't you being a bit petty?" Em asked, though immediately regretted this.

"No, I am being EXTREMELY petty," Jason admitted, which made Em blink in shock. "I don't care. I will get a shiny Eevee by the end of today! You watch the class, I'm going hunting!"

XxXxXxX

"Eevee," Wes panted, staring at the nurse with a determined look. "Heal. Please."

"I was going to do that anyway," the nurse muttered in a very 'ok psycho' matter, walking off with the weak Eevee into the back room, where an ER light came on over the door, indicating an emergency procedure was going on.

Rose looked over at the door, before turning back to Wes, looking at him with both a shocked and somewhat irritated matter. "How are you constantly getting that lucky?"

"Oh so lucky," Nayru snarled, glaring at Rose, who was stunned at this. "That Eevee is SO LUCKY to be born how he was!" She huffed, crossing her arms and immediately gliding away to the corner of the Pokemon Center.

"Go talk to her," Wes immediately said, not taking his eyes off the door.

"But what did I do?" Rose muttered, still confused. Wes looked at her with a 'just do it' glare, so she signed, walking off and approaching Nayru, who was giving off a very negative aura that Rose could pratically feel choking her as she approached, sitting down next to the shiny with an awkward look on her face. "Hey, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did wrong though..."

Nayru glared at her for a moment before sighing, looking down with a sad look. "You know how humans are all different? How you guys basically celebrate your differences because that is what makes you special? That isn't how it is with Pokemon, we're all supposed to be as similar as possible because that is what we need to do to survive... so imagine how it is to be born a mutant freak, different from your peers just by color, but enough that it makes you stand out."

"I... never thought of it like that," Rose admitted.

"Of course you don't," Nayru shot at her, but sighed. "Sorry, it's hard for humans to understand, after all difference is what makes humans, well, human. That's why you all love shiny Pokemon so much, because the differences are special to you. We don't see it like that in the Pokemon world, however. My mother... she was released by her trainer, so she was quite powerful, and knew Shadow Ball... so imagine being weak to it, and being abused... by Shadow Ball... A LOT."

Rose looked wide eyed at Nayru, who at this point had tears swelling up in her eyes as she talked. Rose reached to comfort Nayru, but backed off at the last moment. "Look, if it's too painful to remember, I can..."

Nayru shook her head, wiping tears away. "No... it's fine. So yeah, one day my mom decided enough was enough. If I wasn't going to go away on my own, she was going to make me go away, her way. So yeah, I'll spare you all the details, but before the final blow could be struck, I was shield by a human child..."

"Wes," Rose realized.

Nayru nodded. "That look he has right now? That is what I saw, that human that I didn't know protecting me, that determined look telling me that no matter what, he wouldn't let me die that way. Eventually, his mom came looking for him and chased off the other Ralts and my mom. They took me home and nursed me back to health, and eventually realizing I didn't want to leave, Wes offered a Friend Ball to be... a sign that he and I were going to be friends forever."

"So, that's why you stick with him no matter what," Rose realized, looking at her in awe.

Nayru nodded, smiling sadly. "He saved by life. I told you before, Wes is different. He doesn't see my difference as just that, sure it startled him with Inigo and now this Eevee, but he isn't going to just catch a Pokemon because of a few sparkles when it comes out of the ball and a different color."

Rose looked at Wes with a small blush creeping across her face. She already had begun to see him in new light these past few months, but seeing him now, with how determined he was to save this Pokemon, and hearing how Nayru was saved by him in the same way, made Rose realize just what kind of person he was. She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by the ER doors opening, and the snow white Eevee being carried by the nurse back to the counter.

"Here is the Eevee," the nurse said, handing him to Wes.

"Thanks," Wes breathed in relief, taking the Eevee, who immediately nuzzled Wes in affection. "Aww, he likes me!"

"You did kinda save his bacon, Master."

"So... what are we going to do with him?" Rose asked, looking in worry at the Eevee. "We can't really just let him go, can we? He'll just get hurt out there."

Wes looked down at the Eevee, who was looking at Wes with a look of 'please don't put me back' in his eyes. Wes smiled at this, holding the Eevee up and snuggling him. "I'm gonna call you Blake!"

"Really?" Rose sarcastically muttered, glaring. "It was that easy to convince you?"

"And why Blake?" Nayru muttered, looking confused. "Doesn't that mean black, as in, not that Eevee's color?"

"His eyes are black," Wes pointed out. "Besides, it sounds cool. Huh, do you like that name? You wanna go in the Moon Ball? Oh yes you do." Wes baby talked, holding up the Moon Ball which Blake seemed to play swat at.

"And the baby talk again," Rose commented.

"Let's go," Nayru muttered, shaking her head but smiling all the same. "I think we've worried Jason and Em enough."

As the trio (plus Blake) headed out, though, their eyes went wide as Jason stepped past, holding a second silvery Eevee in his arms as he called out for a first-aid kit. They blinked at the sight, but then heard a low growl, and turned to see the rest of the class being corralled by Em, who had taken a seat on the back of her Salamence.

"We are waiting here like good boys and girls until Jason gets that Eevee patched up, understand? And no more whining, or else you get to feel the power of Dragon Claw FIRST HAND!" Em snarled, glaring at the class.

"Wow, she is vicious," Wes noted. "Though I can't imagine the appearance of two shiny Pokemon in one day made them all that happy... you think there was an up-roar?"

"From the look of them all, probably," Rose commented, blinking in shock at the appearance of the second shiny.

"Wes and Rose, front and center!" Em called out. "The whole class needs a lecture, and that includes you both... though from the look on Nayru, I'm guessing at least one of you already got one."

"Welp, time to face second hell," Rose muttered, walking forward.

"You're welcome," Nayru muttered, not apologetic at all.

"I didn't do anything," Wes muttered.

"You did all the things!" Jason barked, suddenly leaving the center and startling them. "In line! NOW!"

Once everyone was set in place, Jason furrowed his brow. "Now... a lot of you got mad when Wes ran off with that first Eevee. And rightfully so. I had said 'no capturing the Eevee', and what he did, was, essentially, doing just that."

"Yeah, so he broke the damn rules!" a jock student shouted, glaring at Wes as if ready to deck him.

"DETENTION", Jason immediately barked. Once the jock had clammed up, Jason continued. "And, as I was saying, plenty more of you got more upset when I decided we needed to head back with the second Eevee in my arms, with the intent of healing her and capturing her myself. Now, let me ask you a question..." With that pause, he glared at all of them. "Do any of you really know how TERRIBLE a shiny's life can be?"

"Jason, I love you," Nayru immediately chimed in.

"Quiet, Nayru", Jason called back, but still smirking a bit. "To answer that question... there's a reason why Shiny Pokemon are so rare... because it's a deviant to the norm on birth, and unlike us humans, who relish in differences and the unique... a deviant pokemon is essentially a threat to the entire species. If more pokemon of that color are allowed to flourish and thrive, the population could be decimated due to the fact that they are no longer able to use their camoflauge to hide, or unable to use their colors to try and attract a mate. In response to that... the rest of the pack, or even their own mothers, will attempt to kill the baby pokemon."

The entire class shifted uneasily at that, having never thought about it. One girl raised her hand tentatively. "B-but profes- I mean, Jason, y-you were jealous of W-Wes, too... a-after that T-Torchic hatched..."

"Wait, what?" Wes asked, confused.

"You are right", Jason responded, "and I would be wrong to put myself above others for that. My reasoning, though, is that he HATCHED a Shiny. I'm not aware of Nayru's circumstances, but I assume she was also a wild Ralts before she met Wes, and that's a possible reason as to why he reacted so quickly when he discovered the shiny Eevee. I'm not jealous of him for that... if anything, I have seen first hand how poorly Shiny Pokemon get treated, not just by their own kind, but by humans too." He gave a sigh. "When I was a kid, my father owned a shiny pokemon, which became one of my first partners when I started my journey. As I traveled, I got a lot of offers to trade that pokemon for something more powerful or more rare, such as an Eevee, one of my favorite pokemon. I didn't understand it at the time, though; I only met the one, and I thought they were all green. Turns out, the natural color was blue.

"But, to make a long story short... I saw the conditions that one of my potential traders kept their pokemon in, and I was disgusted. I didn't want my partner to end up like that", Jason concluded. "In conclusion... I go crazy about Shiny Pokemon because I want to make sure they are treated with the same love and respect any other pokemon deserves, not because of their color. So... just this once... I'm willing to let Wes' decision slide and allow him to keep that Eevee. Because I know it's the best place that little one belongs."

"...you aren't even going to give him detention for running off on his own?" Juan asked. "That's very unlike you."

"This is a one time deal", Jason stated, giving Wes a glare again. "If he does it again... I'll give him two to make up for it."

"Eh, that's fair," Wes muttered, petting Blake who was cooing.

"Yeah, yeah, sappy happy," Em muttered with a bit of impatience in her voice. "Can we go back to the hotel now? Tomorrow's my last day, and I want to get ready for it!"

"You go ahead", Jason told her, pointing back to the center. "I need to make sure Spirit is safe to move before I bring her back to the hotel."

"... Spirit?" Em asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What, you think I'm just gonna let her go after that speech I just made? She's mine now", Jason countered. "I'm not letting her go back into the wild where she'll get killed."

 _We sense a bit of jealously, professor._ The entire class thought, sweat dropping.

* * *

 **...yes, Wes is going to have three shiny Pokemon. This does not make him "overpowered" as many of you are about to say, as they are just as strong as regular Pokemon... in fact, due to the way shiny Pokemon worked in Gen 2, they weren't even the most powerful a Pokemon could be. A 'perfect Pokemon' would always be a strong as a regular Pokemon in Gen 2.**

 **Wes's team is based off some of my favorite Pokemon. I happen to have a shiny Gardevoir, Blaziken and (insert Eeveelution here), so yeah.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading the chapter!**


	16. A Much Needed Day Off

**Thank you to The King of Emerald for being my beta reader, and thank you to pokemonking0924 for reviewing both chapters 14 and 15.**

 **This chapter is one that I've been looking forward to writing for a long time, even though it is a fluff chapter mostly as not a lot goes on. Despite that, however, it was a hard chapter to actual sit down and write. Not sure why but I finally got it out thanks to some help from Emerald.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

"Well, that's out of the way," Jason sighed, marking the final paper that was in front of him with a 100, which of course had Rose's name at the top. In the chaos of yesterday's Shiny Eevee fiasco, he had almost forgotten to grade the papers he had the students write on Pokemon Breeding and Egg Hatching, since everyone's egg had hatched at the point and he felt they were experienced enough in the topic to write an essay. He shuffled back through the papers, a small smile of pride filling his face as he finally found Wes', which was very well written and only had a few grammatical errors, a solid 95 written in red donned the top right corner.

"Boo," Em's voice suddenly said, causing Jason's smile to fade as he sighed, putting Wes' paper neatly on top of Rose's and turning to Em, who was pouting and looking at him with her signature wanting look. "Let's go to the beach today!"

"I can't, Em," Jason replied with a bit of sorrow in his voice, pushing the papers a bit to the side and pulling out another sheet with the lesson plan on it. "I need the students to do review today, we got a test in two days and I want to be sure they understand the material."

"And you can't do that tomorrow?" Em sighed, wrapping her arms around Jason, her chest pressing into his back. "Tests are usually better reviewed the day before, right?"

Jason flipped the page over, showing the lesson plan for tomorrow as well, trying his best to ignore her advances. "It's a lot of material. We practically have to dedicate two days to it to cover it all. I'm sorry, Em, but to be fair your arrival was… unplanned. I can't just go against what Kukui wants to do, lord knows I did with the Eevee thing. Thankfully, he was understanding and even put two questions about Eevee on the test, but I can't really do it again."

Em pouted at this. "Fine," she muttered, walking off briskly to the bathroom. Jason sighed, making a mental note to himself to apologize to her later. He read over the lesson plan for today and tomorrow, and his expression went from one of determination to one of boredom. Did he really want to subject the students to this much review? After all, many of them had been getting outstanding results on the assignments so far, especially Wes, who had gone from being the worst student in the class to somewhere within the top 5, only really passed by Rose, Juan, Lillie and Chole. Just as he was debating on making tomorrow the only review day just for suggestions and not the entire test, he heard the bathroom door open.

"Guess I'll just have to go myself then," Em mumbled just loud enough for Jason to hear. Jason turned to her and his jaw dropped in shock. Em was standing there with a black and yellow bikini on, which showed off every curve she had on her body very well. Jason's face began to turn a bright shade of red, his brain on overdrive at that moment as he tried to process what he was seeing. Just one look, and he knew that the outfit was a size too small for her. Em, seeing this, took advantage of the situation, turning her body a bit to show a side view to Jason, looking sheepishly at him. "You like? It was a gift."

Jason immediately looked at the lesson plan for the day, to Em, and back again. He then immediately shoved the lesson plan off the table and onto the floor, stood up and cleared his throat, attempting to sound professional. "You know what? The students have been doing very well on these past assignments, so I think they get the material. Relaxing their minds will help them retain the material better, and I think too much review will do more harm then good. I'll just give them the day off today, and tomorrow we can just do a review day where I go over the questions the students have."

 _That's what I thought,_ Em thought to herself, as she smiled at Jason in a devilish manner, who was trying to look anywhere but at her.

XxXxXxX

Jason cleared his throat at the students gathered in the hotel lobby, looking at them all in turn before he sweat dropped. All of them, even Wes, had the text book open as they sat on the floor in front of him, ready for the review. "Uh, not that I don't appreciate your eagerness, but... change of plans… we're going to the beach."

"Huh!?" every student gasped in shock, looking at Jason as if he was not the person they knew.

Jason sighed, knowing this was going to be their reaction. "Hold on, this isn't what you think. Studies have shown that too much work is damaging to the mind, and you guys have been working so hard these past few weeks that… well, you need to take it easy. I don't want to shove all this review at you and not have any of you understand it when it comes time for the test. Plus, you all have done a great job recently that I figured it was a bit of a reward as well. Here, at the very least I got these to hand back." Jason began passing back the Pokemon Breeding essay, which Wes looked stunned at, seeing his 95 in the top. Rose looked over at Wes' essay grade in stunned silence, impressed by what she was seeing.

"Wow, Wes, that's amazing," Rose beamed, looking at him with glee. Maple cheered as well, leaping on Wes' shoulder in a makeshift hug.

"I gotta admit master, that is impressive," Nayru commented, also beaming with pride.

"So, there you have it," Jason said, clapping his hands together as most of the students looked at their papers, each one stunned at the grade they got. "I figured this would serve two purposes. The first was a reward for your outstanding work, and the second would be to recharge your brains for the test. Now, I have two conditions for this… the first is you guys should all let your Pokemon join in on the fun, the second… none of you tell Kukui."

"Why not?" Wes asked, confused. "Isn't he joining us, or is he on another one of his errands?"

Jason's eye twitched at that. His 'errands' were of course the Battle Royal, though he couldn't say that outright. "He will be joining us tomorrow for review, but he doesn't know about this. Promise me that none of you will tell him about this, or-"

"I won't tell," Rose suddenly said, which shocked everyone, especially Jason. Normally, she was such a work-aholic that the thought of taking a break was baffling to her. "Besides, I've been getting headaches from all the work I've been doing. It would be nice to take a day off."

"Yeah, and besides, who doesn't want to relax rather then work?" Wes commented, grinning. The other students were all nodding in agreement, each one getting excited as the reality of a day off was sinking in.

Jason blinked at that, but smiled all the same, "Well alright then. Your assignment today is… grab your swim suits and be at the beach!" No one needed to be told twice, and about 30 minutes later every single student and their Pokemon were down at the beach right by the hotel resort. It was pretty barren other then them, as most other travelers were heading home that day. Jason eventually showed up to take attendance, holding a beach umbrella and chair under one of his arms. Following after him was Em, and her sudden appearance made almost every guy's jaw drop, save for Juan and Wes. Jason had to reprimand several of the guys checking his girlfriend out, threatening them with detention and a 'extra, painful lesson' if they didn't stop. Finally, he got done with attendance and sat in his beach chair, the umbrella positioned just right to block the sun from both him and Em, who was setting up a towel to lie on next to him.

"You don't need to get jealous you know," Em snickered, grinning a bit at Jason.

"Jealous? Who. I have no idea what you're talking about." Jason denied with a hand wave, putting on a pair of sunglasses and relaxing. He took out a Premier Ball and sent out Spirit the shiny eevee, who joyfully rubbed her master's arm in affection before curling up on his lap.

"Right," Em chuckled, lying down on the towel. "We both know you're the jealous one in this relationship, admit it."

"I admit nothing," Jason declared, turning to watch the students as they goofed off. He did notice that while everyone was having a good time, Wes and Rose in particular were off to the side, their Pokemon out but not really doing much. Blake was at Wes's knees as he was kneeling in the sand, facing Rose who was sitting there calmly, her eyes locked on Blake, who was looking nervous.

"Come on, Blake," Rose said in a cute voice. "I won't hurt you."

"Rose is a friend," Wes said coaxingly. However, Blake ran behind Wes, peering out from his spot back at Rose, very intimidated by her. "Huh, didn't know you gained the ability Intimidate when you wore that bikini."

Rose blushed at this, covering herself with her arms. "You're not funny." She sighed, her blush fading at her looked sadly at Blake. "Still, I didn't think he would be this intimidated by everyone."

"He's shy, that's all," Wes said, petting Blake who seemed to relax at that. "He just needs time to get used to all this."

"Still, I wish we could do more to help him," Rose said sadly, standing up. "I'll go talk to Jason, maybe he has some advice."

"Great, here comes Rose," Jason muttered, sighing. "I hope it isn't something about homework... does she even know the meaning of 'a day off'?"

Em was instantly off her towel and was walking away from him, heading in Rose's direction. "Let me handle this", she said to her boyfriend, before intercepting the bookworm of the class. "Hey Rose, ole buddy, ole friend. How can I help you?"

"Uh, I need to ask Jason about-"

"Anything you need to ask Jason I am sure I can answer just as well," Em confidently said, placing an arm around Rose and almost forcefully turning her to face away from Jason. "I did travel with him and have almost as much experience, y'know."

"Uh, ok," Rose nodded, a bit weirded out but convinced none the less. "It's about Blake. I was just wondering if Jason… or you… had any advice on helping him overcome his shyness."

Em thought for a moment, tapping a finger on her lower lip. "Well, shyness isn't something that one can just overcome, especially with someone trying to force you to. If you really want to help Blake, the best thing you can do is act natural, heck even not really paying Blake too much mind might help ease him by taking the spotlight off him."

"Spirit seems fine though," Rose noticed, beginning to turn to look at Jason though Em immediately pulled her closer to prevent this.

"Spirit is also just a baby, therefore is much more trusting and adaptable," Em pointed out. "Just give it time. Besides, I'm sure Nayru and Inigo being there also is helping more than you might realize." Em looked over and pointed at Nayru, and when Rose turned to look she could see two said Pokemon playing with Blake, who was enjoying himself much more around the alternate colored teammates of his.

"Alright, thanks Em!" Rose cheerfully said, beginning to walk off. However, she was stopped suddenly by Em placing a hand on her shoulder. Rose looked over to see Em glaring at her, her false happy demeanor instantly gone.

"Listen to me," Em coldly said, in a tone Rose never thought possible for the bubbly, giggly girl. "This is the last day that I have to spend with my boyfriend before I go back to boring old Kalos for my job, and I do not want any more interruptions, got it? If you come over here again before the day is over, I'll show you what my Salamence can really do. Are we clear?"

"…crystal," Rose half muttered, half whimpered, brushing Em's hand off her shoulder as she hastily walked away, her eyes widened with shock. Em smirked watching her walk off, turning with a spring in her step as she walked back over to Jason, who had his sunglasses lowered on his nose as he watched her come back.

"I'm the jealous one in this relationship, huh?" Jason commented, watching as Em lied back down.

"I admit nothing," Em stated, closing her eyes and relaxing.

"You don't have to admit anything, I know what I saw," Jason smirked, eyeing her as he pushed his sunglasses back up.

"Look who's talking, Mr. 'I'm gonna give you detention and an extra, painful lesson if you don't stop staring at my girlfriend'."

"They're bickering again," Chloe noticed, looking over her shoulder at Jason and Em.

"What else is new?" Lillie asked, playing with Shiron, only looking up as she heard Rose's footsteps in the sand. "What's with you?"

"I was threatened, and I am not sure how to react to it," Rose muttered, blinking a bit as she processed what Em had said to her.

"Did you give Jason the flirty eyes?" Wes snickered, appearing from nowhere.

Before Rose could say anything, Lillie chucked a bit. "I think she's more likely to give that to you, Wes!"

"Lillie!" Rose shouted with a deep blush, storming after the blonde, who giggled and ran off, leaving Wes blinking and staring after them in confusion.

"What I want to know is how Em got that kind of figure," Chloe muttered, looking over at where Em and Jason were sitting (but not for long as to not piss off one of them). "I mean, no wonder why all the guys... save you and Juan, are checking her out."

"No idea how, but it's obvious that our... distracted classmates aren't the only ones that noticed", Juan said, shrugging. "Apparently, Em's a model."

"A what!?" Rose and Lillie immediately shouted, appearing as if from nowhere, startling Wes and Chloe and causing them to embrace for only a moment.

"Here," Juan muttered, handing over a copy of Kalos' latest fashion magazine.

"...why do you have that?" Wes asked, looking weirded out.

"It isn't mine," Juan immediately said, though no one believed him. He began flipping through it until getting to a certain section of the magazine, holding it up for his four friends to see. "Look here, and please don't ogle it too long."

They all looked at where Juan was pointing, and sure enough Em was the model in the image before them. Splayed out on a bright red towel, she wore a bikini that seemed to fit her perfectly; despite being dark blue in color, the bottom piece was lined with white frills, and the light seemed to hit her perfectly, showing off not only the fashion, but her curves as well, seeming to make her slightly-pale skin glisten.

"Okay first of all, I call hax on her figure," Rose muttered, puffing her cheeks in a bit of jealously.

"I call hax on the bikini," Chloe said, also looking jealous.

"You think our sarcastic, cynical teacher wouldn't have someone like this as his girlfriend, but there ya go," Juan muttered, putting away the magazine and walking off to where his towel was.

"I have... several questions," Lillie said, looking back over at where Jason and Em were.

"Same," Wes admitted, scratching his head. "Though you three shouldn't be that jealous. You all could give Em a run for her money."

This caused all three girls to instantly blush, and Rose to once again cover herself with her arms. The scene was not missed by Juan, who came back and only had to see the expression on all three girls' faces to know immediately what had transpired while he was gone. "I hate you."

"What'd I do?" Wes defensively raised his hands in denial.

"That should be illegal," Chloe muttered, blushing heavily (though she seemed to be on cloud nine for a bit).

"You should be ashamed Wes," Lillie pouted teasingly, the first of the girls to recover from Wes' complement.

"Yeah, I mean you don't complement all the girls in the room at once," Chloe said, having finally recovered as well. "That's just jealously waiting to happen."

Wes blinked, clearly lost. Juan, in response only sighed. "I think if Wes had an ability... it would be 'Oblivious'," he muttered. This caused Lillie and Chloe to giggle, as they raced off. Juan sighed, following after them, leaving Wes and Rose alone.

"Y-you think I look good?" Rose asked, sitting down on the beach, trying to hide that she was STILL blushing.

"Well, yeah..." Wes admitted, blushing as well, as he took a seat next to her. "I always have."

This didn't help Rose's face, which only got redder when he said that. "R-really?"

Before either of them could say anything else, another squeak got their attention, and the two Trial Goers turned to the source. Blake, having gotten his fill of playing with Nayru and Inigo, had wandered over again, hopping nonchalantly into Rose's lap before collapsing, his eyes drooping in sleepiness. Nayru gave a chuckle as she approached, not needing to read their minds to know what happened. "Sorry, Master, but I think our newest friend played a little too hard... poor guy's about to pass out."

"I'm stunned that he adapted to Rose so fast though," Wes said, looking over at Blake, who nuzzled Rose's leg in affection.

Nayru only smirked at this, turning and muttering under her breath, "Well, you know what they say... sometimes Pokemon take on the feelings and thoughts of their trainers."

The rest of that day was spent between Wes and Rose in a bit of an awkward silence. The two of them had no idea what to say to one another. Wes had just admitted that he thought Rose was good looking, and even an oblivious guy like him knew that was a big deal. Rose's thoughts were racing at 100 miles per hour, trying to figure out what exactly it all meant... as well as the fact that he also gave the same complement to her competition... though she wasn't sure why she thought that way, especially towards Chloe.

Finally, the sun was starting to go down, turning the sky into an orange/purple hue. Jason sat up from his position, stretching before clapping his hands hard, managing to catch the attention of most of the class before shouting. "Okay, guys! Pack up, it's time to head back! Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow if we want to get over all the review material!"

The class groaned, but did as they were told, packing up their things before starting to head back. As Jason got his stuff together, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Em looking at him with a gentle smile.

"Thanks for the great day", she said honestly, her hands behind her back. "I wish I could've taken more pictures, but at least I got a lot of good memories."

Jason, for once, gave her a soft smile in return. "That makes me happy, hon. I'm sorry I couldn't have spent more alone time with you." He pulled his own towel up, wrapping it around his neck before looking at her again. "Next time... maybe we can actually plan a time for you to visit so we can go on vacation together."

At that, the green-haired girl shuffled a bit on her feet. "I gotta start flying back tonight, so I'm not going back to the hotel... and all my stuff is waiting for me at the pokecenter... so..." She looked into his eyes, puckering her lips a tiny bit. "Since I won't see you until next time... can I get one more goodbye 'present'?"

Immediately, the brunette boy blushed heavily, a look that was not common for him. Before he said anything else, he glanced to his right, where the rest of the class had congregated, looking at them both expectantly. Many looks of astonishment and awe littered the crowd, as well as several looks of jealousy, from both boys and girls alike.

"Class is dismissed, so you should be back at the hotel", Jason said with a slight glare.

No one budged.

"As in NOW."

Still no one moved, although a couple kids in the back shuffled a bit.

"As in LEAVE US ALONE OR DETENTION FOR A MONTH."

In an uproar of panic, suddenly the entire class began running back, looks of panic on their faces as no one wanted to witness Jason's wrath first-hand at that. He gave a sigh, looking back at Em, who was trying really hard not to laugh. "What's so funny?" he said with a glare.

"Even after months of not seeing you... you still haven't changed one bit", Em said with a smile, before wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him with a loving gaze. "And that... makes me happy."

Jason rolled his eyes a bit, chuckling finally. "Shut up", he told her, before pulling her closer, his lips locking with hers in a final kiss, the sun slowly dipping beyond the horizon.

XxXxXxX

"I... I've never run that fast in my life!" Rose panted, sweat dripping from her forehead and onto the floor outside of the hotel.

"Y-you know Jason... he meant it," Chloe huffed, sitting down and trying to fan herself off. "W-where is Wes?"

"HOW DID I GET UP HERE!?" a sudden shout echoed from inside of the hotel. The class shuffled into the hotel lobby, and looked up to see Wes clinging onto a chandelier, a look of fear in his eyes.

"How did you-" Rose began to ask.

"I LITERALLY JUST ASKED THAT!" Wes shouted, shaking a bit as he looked down.

"Nayru?" Juan asked, looking over at the shiny, though she only bore a look of amusement on her face.

"Where is the camera when you need it?"

"NOT FUNNY!" Wes shouted at his Pokemon, shaking the light fixture a bit in his anger, though he immediately stopped over as it rocked.

"Nayru, please," Rose asked.

"Alright, alright, but I am holding this over his head for awhile," Nayru sighed, levitating the boy down from the ceiling, a look on her face that practically told him that he was going to be hearing it from the psychic type meant it when she said she was going to be mentioning it for a LONG time.


	17. An Uphill Climb

**I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Mine was... well, okay for the most part. Won't lie would've much rather not gone at all.**

 **As usual, thanks to The King of Emerald for beta reading, and thanks to pokemonking0924 for the review on Chapter 16.**

 **This is probably my longest ever chapter in terms of overall word length. I crammed so much into this chapter that it wasn't even funny. Total word count before the authors note and Pokemon list was 5,360 words!**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

"And time is up!" Jason shouted, looking up from his book as the alarm clock he had set up began to beep. As he glanced around the room, only a few of the students seemed to be frantically writing down some final details on their tests for the final turn in, the rest were checking over their tests one final time or changing an answer. Wes was the first to stand up, handing his test to Jason before turning to wait for Rose, who was also approaching the front of the room. Jason had a moment to glance at both of their tests before other students began to approach, and a smirk of confidence appeared on his face for a brief moment, knowing that not only had Rose gotten completely every answer on the front right, but Wes had as well. "You should have these back before we go to Ula'ula island, so don't worry about it until then," he looked especially at Rose as he said that, who despite her smartness always seemed to have test anxiety.

Maple, noticing the expression on her trainers face as she walked back to her desk, leapt onto her head and nuzzled her with affection, which caused a small smile to appear on Rose's face. Wes, meanwhile, did not seem as nervous, but a figment of worry had crossed his face when he handed Jason his test. He was now, however, just leaning back in his chair. Jason had finally gathered all the tests, and instantly put them into his file folder before clearing his throat and turning to the class again. "Now, all of you except for Wes and Rose are dismissed." At this, the entire class, save for Wes and Rose, began to leave. However, to their surprise Juan, Chloe and Lillie stayed behind, looking at Jason as if telling him they wanted to stay for whatever was about to happen.

Jason shrugged at this, "Hey I won't stop you… alright, so as you two have completed all three of the trials on this island, it's time for you three to face the Island Kahuna. She wants you two to at the Ruins of Life, which are just outside of the Akala Outskirts. Of course, needing to grade these, I won't be able to come with you, but as you two have conquered everything else the island has thrown at you, I think you guys will be fine."

"And I can guide them should they get lost, zzt," Rotom chattered, crackling to life.

"The Ruins of Life are said to be the home of Tapu Lele, the guardian deity of Akala Island," Juan noted. "I am guessing you two are battling there to appease the guardian, similar to how you battled Hala at Iki Town, which was just outside of the Ruins of Conflict."

"We aren't being given more time to prepare?" Rose asked, looking worried at Jason. "We just took our test."

"Well, she isn't challenging you until tomorrow morning, so you guys got less time than Hala, but trust me it will be plenty," Jason noted, nodding at them. "Back then, you were less experienced, but with what you guys have been through I'm sure you'll know what to do once you research her a bit… either way, I'll leave you two at it." He yawned a bit, walking out of the room and muttering something about Em keeping him up all night due to wanting to video chat with him.

"So, what do we know about the Kahuna?" Wes asked, looking at his four friends in turn.

"It's Olivia, but that's all we really know," Rose muttered, sighing a bit. "Feels like it's been ages since we met her."

"We have been though a lot," Wes noted, shaking his head as he pulled out his laptop. "I happened to bring this today, so let's see what we can dig up on her." He began to type on the machine, as the four friends gathered around him. Chloe got Rose a bit of a glare, however, as she was almost touching Wes' cheek with her own, however she held her tongue as Wes pulled up information on Olivia and began to scan over her page. "According to this, she's a specialist in the Rock type… so Sakura and Brionne it is then, at least at the beginning."

"Other than Water types, Rock types are also weak against Fighting, Ground, Grass, and Steel," Rose muttered, thinking aloud to herself. "Riolu would be good against them, but the issue is a backup for you since Inigo is Fighting type but is weak to the Rock typing due to also being a Fire type."

Wes turned to Nayru at this, "Hey, you can learn Focus Blast!"

Nayru puffed her cheeks a bit, crossing her arms, "Yeah, like I'm going to learn Focus-Miss. It's very powerful but inaccurate…"

"Well, you should learn it anyway for Steel types in the future," Wes muttered, turning back to the screen. "Rock types are good against Bug so Faye is out as well, and Normal type attacks won't do much, plus I don't want to pit Blake against a Kahuna until he and I get more comfortable with one another."

"That's pretty much you whole line up…" Juan commented sadly, not knowing about Zero. Chloe nodded as well, despite knowing about Zero, though she was only assuming it was because of the normal typing and not Wes' true reason for not wanting to use the beast.

"Inigio isn't a BAD choice," Lillie pointed out. "Just… not that ideal since he takes super effective damage against Rock types… it's a matter of wither or not you'd rather risk the super effective damage, or stick with Nayru and play it safe."

Wes clenched his fists, looking down at the desk, debating on using Zero for a fraction of a second before he shook his head. Zero knew Iron Head, but he wasn't sure if he was smart chancing using the Pokemon so soon. "I'll probably use Inigo. Might not be the smartest choice but if I play my cards right, I think I can use him should Sakura faint… though with how resilient she is I don't think she will."

"Don't get a big head," Rose warned him. "Sakura isn't undefeated, she did lose against the Masked Royale after all."

"Yeah, but that was the Masked Royale!" Wes commented, shaking his head a bit. "Ya know, Battle Royale champion and all?"

"And this is an Island Kahuna," Rose pointed out, rolling her eyes. "You might just want to use Nayru, even with neutral damage she's better then risking taking super effective damage."

"I guess…" Wes sighed, looking over at Nayru. "You in?"

"Hey, whatever floats your boat is fine with me." Nayru stated. "Just not sure what I could really do."

"After our last training you know Moonblast, Psyshock, Psychic and Shadow Ball," Wes stated. "All moves that do neutral damage against rock types, so I think we're set… Sakura and Nayru will be my two."

"I'll use Brionne and Riolu," Rose stated, nodding. "So, we should train tonight and make sure we got a battle plan."

"Well, at the very least you two will be cooperating from the start this time," Lillie giggled, while the other two grinned.

XxXxXxX

"Blake, come on out!" Wes called, throwing his Moon Ball into the air, where it opened and revealed the snowy Eevee in a flash of light. Blake cried in joy for seeing his master, but one glance around at the three strangers that were around him caused him to flinch and run towards Wes, leaping into his arms with incredible agility.

"Hey, it's okay," Wes softly whispered as he pet Blake, who cooed with joy. "They're friends, like Rose."

"Why did you send Blake out?" Rose asked, who also reached over and pet Blake, who made a sound that almost sounded like a revving engine.

"He would learn a thing or two watching the battle," Wes admitted, placing Blake on his head so that he can ride up there as they walked. "And since he was mistreated in the wild, I don't want him to be crammed up in that ball all the time, especially since he needs to get used to other Pokemon and Humans."

"Smart," Rose admitted, leading the way as the five of them began to walk, following the map on the Rotom-Dex, Blake wagging his tail as he looked around in wonder at the world around them.

"Olivia should be there by now," Juan stated, looking forward. "We shouldn't have too long of a walk ahead of us." Sure enough, they only walked for around 20 minutes before finding themselves approaching a path where four giant head like statues were, each one facing inwards to look at the path before them. They continued to walk, however, a sudden voice caused them to stop walking.

"So, you're the one Gladion was whining about?" the voice said, causing them all to whip around. Standing there was a woman wearing a low cut black tube top, black pants, and a necklace in the shape of a Team Skull symbol. "Hmph, you don't look like anything special to me." She brushed a bit of her pink hair from her face, and Wes couldn't help but notice that two large parts of it were dyed blonde in color.

"Gladion," Lillie immediately spoke up, stepping forward. "What do you know of my brother?"

"Brother!?" Wes, Rose, and Chloe all said in shock, though Juan only replied with a "That guy we saw at the Battle Royale place?"

"Never you mind, little girl," the woman spoke, her yellow eyes flashing at Lillie for a brief moment before focusing back on Wes, the white eye liner that made her eyes look like white goggles were surrounding them wrinkling along with her skin as she narrowed her eyes in Wes' direction. "I am Plumeria, and I help keep Team Skull together. I'm like a big sister to all these numskulls… including Gladion."

"You're lying!" Lillie shouted, her eyes narrowed at the taller woman. "My brother would never join the likes of you!"

"Is that so?" Plumeria asked, grinning a little. "Believe what you want to, little girl, but he's in our organization… now, I ask you not to interrupt again, or I will silence you myself." Despite her anger, Lillie kept her tongue, though she clearly was distressed about what Plumeria had said. "Now, as I was saying… you know big sisters, right? They don't like it when their little siblings are picked on… and you students messing with that Type Null, and Jason's constant bullying of my brothers and sisters… well, you know what I mean."

"If Team Skull kept themselves out of trouble, Jason wouldn't have to act," Wes retorted, glaring at Plumeria for mentioning Zero. "And what happened between me and Zero is none of your business!"

"Zero?" Juan and Lillie asked, both now confused.

Plumaria smirked at that, "You didn't tell your other friends? You didn't tell them how you stole that Pokemon from my little brother?"

"He is not-" Lillie was about to interject, but Rose stepped forward, holding her hand out in front of Lillie.

"What happened between Wes, Gladion and the Type Null Wes affectionally refers to as Zero is none of your business," Rose declared, glaring as well. "Gladion and Wes might have their rivalry, but that isn't something you should be part of, you witch!"

 _Rose,_ Wes thought, blushing as he looked over at her.

"Really?" Plumaria asked, tilting her head at Rose before pulling out an Ultra Ball. "I'll be the judge of that one, missy!" She threw it into the air, and out popped a Pokemon that Wes had never seen before. It was primarily blue in color and resembled a starfish, though two of the blue tentacles were up revealing it was much like a shell and that it had a small, suspended body in the middle, purple in color. Several spikes adorned the Pokemon, some matching the blue tenticles and patruding out of them, but the ones on the top and bottom ended in yellow tips. "I'll let you in on a little secret, boy, this Toxapex is very strong… you're only going to beat it with your strongest Pokemon, and I am not talking about the sparkle fairy behind you."

"What is that thing?" Wes asked, looking shocked at the creature sitting before him.

"That's a Toxapex, the evolved form of Mareanie," Juan explained, having attended the lecture that Wes and Rose had to miss. "They're water and poison typed, so Nayru should logically have an advantage here."

"But Wes, what is she talking about?" Lillie asked, looking at him confused before seeming to put two and two together. "Wait, that Type Null we found… you don't…"

Wes looked at her for a moment before turning to Nayru, "You think you can take that thing on and still battle Olivia?"

"You're kidding, right?" Nayru smirked confidentially, stepping forward with her hands sparking with psychic power. "One helping of calamari coming right up!"

"Foolish," Plumaria shook her head, looking disappointed at them. "You didn't head my warning, and for that your partner shall pay."

"Psychic!" Wes ordered. Nayru's eyes glowed with incredible power, the very air seeming to twist and turn around Toxapex, who shut it's main body in by closing the two tentacles that revealed itself. The attack ended, and for a moment it looked like Nayru had won, but Toxapex revealed itself again, laughing devilishly at Nayru.

"But… that's impossible!" Nayru gasped, looking shocked. "With it being part poison, that attack should have ended it!"

"Don't give in yet, maybe it's a special defensive Pokemon!" Wes stated. "Use Psyshock!" Nayru focused again, this time generating the psychic particles in the air before sending them at Toxapex, who once again closed itself up, the attack slamming into the beefy tentacles, but like last time when the Pokemon opened up again it looked uninjured, grinning with yellow teeth.

"End this," Plumaria ordered, snapping her fingers. In a flash of purple, Nayru was struck with an attack, collapsing to the ground as Toxapex got off her, snickering.

"Nayru!" Wes called, racing forward. Everyone around them looked shocked, stunned at how fast the very defensive Pokemon was, and how Nayru fell in a single strike. "Are you ok?"

"That… that Pokemon is w-way too strong," Nayru croaked, looking worried at Wes. "She's out of our league, master." Blake had leapt off Wes' head, and was licking the wound Nayru had on her side.

 _And no Jason here to step in,_ Wes thought, glaring at Plumaria.

"Now do you see what I mean?" Plumaria asked, glaring down at Wes. "Now… you know what to do."

Wes picked Nayru up, carrying her back to where Rose was, who immediately pulled out her bag and began to treat Nayru for her injuries. Wes turned back to Plumaria, glaring as he reached onto his belt and pulled out the Luxury Ball. "Fine, if that is what you want."

"Wes, no!" Rose cried out, but it was too late. Wes had thrown the ball, and out of it emerged the Synthetic Pokemon, who gave a metallic roar as it stared down the Toxapex, who smirked confidently at the emergence of the beast. Lillie and Juan both gasped, Nayru, Rose and Chloe groaned, and Blake gave a small gasp as it hid behind Wes' legs.

"There you are," Plumaria grinned, smirking in joy as she faced it. "Toxapex, Poison Jab!" The Brutal Star Pokemon leapt forward and jabbed one of it's glowing purple tentacles into the side of Zero, though the creature only looked at it in anger, not enjoying the fact that he was attacked. A metallic roar escaped the helmet, as Zero knocked the Toxapex back, who looked fearful for the first time. "Don't you back down, attack again!" Plumaria ordered, however before anything else could happen, footsteps echoed in the distance. Plumaria huffed, recalling her Toxapex into the Ultra Ball and glaring at Wes. "This isn't over!"

"Wait!" Wes called, about to run forward, however suddenly she threw something black down, and a burst of smoke erupted out of nowhere, surrounding them all. Everyone began to cough, and Wes fought his way to where Plumaria once was, however when he got there the smoke had cleared, and the only ones there were themselves and Olivia, who was approaching them with a stern look on her face.

"Are you kids alright?" Olivia asked, looking at them in turn. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Just a bit of my pride, that's all," Wes growled, looking at where Rose and Nayru were, the shiny now sitting up after being healed.

"Put that away," Olivia ordered, gesturing towards Zero. "She's gone, so there is no need for him to be out."

"Right," Wes bitterly stated, recalling Zero into the Luxury Ball, who was giving Wes an odd look before being sucked into the ball.

"I have questions," Lillie instantly said, looking right at Wes.

"And you will get them answered," Rose interrupted, turning to Wes and Olivia. "But I think after that Team Skull girl showed up, we all need to chill out. Let's worry about what happened here after the battle, shall we?

Olivia nodded, smiling at them all. "Great idea, if you five would follow me please?"

"So, Nayru is out of the battle," Rose told Wes worried. "She's cured of the poisoning but she's still too weak to battle, which means…"

"Inigo, Faye or Zero, and I am not chancing Zero," Wes said, looking at the Luxury Ball. "I'll go with Inigio, despite being a long shot he's the best option right now that isn't Zero."

Rose nodded, as they entered the clearing right outside of the entrance to the Ruins of Life. Olivia turned to face them there, as Juan, Chloe and Lillie went off to the side with Nayru to observe the battle. Olivia smirked at them, putting her hands on her hips. "Alright, you've completed the three trials offered to you by the captains of this island! Now you face the grand trial of the kahuna- me! So get ready, you two, because I do not plan on holding back!"

"Neither do we," Rose declared, snapping the Waterium Z onto her wrist, while Wes did the same, both of them looking forward confidently.

 _So, that's their plan,_ Olivia thought, smirking and pulling out two Ultra Balls. "Alright, come forth, Geodude and Lileep!" The two Pokemon emerged from the balls in a flash of light. Unlike Kanto Geodude, the one that emerged was a grey color with black, iron sand attached to it that gave it the appearance of having black eyebrows and strands of short black hair. Only the thumb and index fingers on the Geodude's hands were free while the other fingers have fused together. Lileep was purple plant like in appearance with eight, pink tentacles poking out of its black head, two yellow beady eyes looking out of the head.

"That Geodude looks different," Wes stated, looking confused at it.

"That's an Alolan Variant Geodude!" Rose gasped, looking at it shocked. "I've heard about them but never seen one before."

"Well, they're still rock types, and if the Geodude is the same as the ones I know, they're double weak to water," Wes stated, taking out his Lure Ball. "Sakura, come out!"

"Brionne, let's go!" Rose declared, both Water type Pokemon emerged and looked ready for battle.

"I'll knock out that Geodude with the first move," Wes declared boldly.

"Wait, doesn't Lileep have the chance to-" Juan began to think out loud, but by the time he had realized what could be it was too late.

"Sakura, Scald!" Wes commanded, and Sakura cried out as a burst of heated water flew at Geodude, but suddenly it shifted direction, as Lileep began to make a slurping sound as the water contacted with it instead. Lileep slurped even louder and drained the water entirely, ending with a small burp escaping the plant, which seemed to look much bigger now.

"W-what just happened!?" Wes asked, shocked.

"Obviously your attack failed," Rose sighed, clearly irritated that Wes did not think his move though

"Storm Drain," Olivia declared, smirking at him. "The hidden ability of the Lileep line… these guys are from Hoenn, I'm surprised you didn't realize that."

"Hey, just because I'm from there doesn't mean I know EVERYTHING about the Pokemon there," Wes growled, clenching his fist.

"Well, I'll tell you this," Olivia stated, looking very serious. "Storm Drain is an ability that draws in all Water-type moves. Instead of being hit by Water-type moves, it boosts its Sp. Atk. Additionally, my Lileep is a Rock and Grass type, which means…"

"Oh no," Wes muttered, looking worried. "It can knock out our water Pokemon with grass attacks."

"Not if I can help it!" Rose shouted, pointing towards Lileep. "Ice Beam!" Brionne inhaled and unleashed a stream of ice, which flew towards Lileep at incredible speed. The plant like Pokemon was hit but was not knocked out. Wes suddenly saw a red sash fly off of the rock type and knew at once that it was holding a Focus Sash to survive a single turn.

"Lileep, Giga Drain!" Olivia commanded, pointing towards Brionne. Lileep made another slurping sound, but this time a dark green energy beam emerged from it, surrounding Brionne who shrieked in pain as it was drained of health. Brionne collapsed on the ground, unable to battle due to the damage from the boosted Giga Drain.

"Geodude, Thunder Wave on that milotic!" Olivia commanded, as Geodude suddenly sparked with electricity and zapped Sakura with a jolt, who was paralyzed instantly from the attack.

"Wait, Thunder Wave?" Chloe asked, looking confused. "A rock and ground type that knows an electric attack?"

"Not exactly," Juan stated. "Alolan Geodude are rock and electric typed. Her first two Pokemon are her specialization of rock still, but it is clear they are meant to capitalize on her opponents using water Pokemon, one of the most common types available, and one that most trainers are likely to have. She takes them by surprise with her dual typed Pokemon, and uses grass and electric type moves to cripple the team's offense."

"Guess it was my turn to screw up on a kahuna," Wes muttered, not looking pleased with his rushed offense.

"And it's my turn to tell you that this isn't over," Rose said, taking out her own Ultra Ball. "Go, Riolu!" The Emanation Pokemon appeared with a bark, staring down the competition. "Use Bulldoze!" Riolu charged forward, kicking up dirt and dust as it rushed forward, before slamming into Geodude, who was double weak to the ground type move and instantly was knocked out."

"Not bad," Olivia smirked, recalling her Geodude. "Lileep, Giga Drain!"

"Sakura, Ice Beam!" Wes ordered. Despite being paralyzed, Sakura was still faster then Lileep, and a quick beam of cold struck the plant looking Pokemon, who did not survive this time due to not having a Focus Sash, and fainted instantly.

"See?" Rose gave Wes a thumbs up. "We got this!"

"Do you?" Olivia asked, taking two more Ultra Balls out. "Go, Sol and Luna!"

"Sol and Luna?" Wes asked, though he didn't have to wait long to find out. Out of both balls emerged two similar, wolf like Pokemon. The first one was a Pokemon that Wes and Rose recognized from the Battle Royal, but the second Pokemon was more of a werewolf, with short red fair and white fur on the lower legs, a white streak also covering the face, underbelly and tail. Pointed, black tipped ears framed the head, with three large tufts of fur on each side of the face, a black nose, and a mouth full of sharp teeth (unlike the traditional wolf fangs on the other Pokemon). Its eyes glowed a pinkish red, with barely visible irises and pupils of the same color. A mane of fur covered its back and shoulders, sweeping forward over its head to form a crescent moon shape. On either side of its body, just below the shoulders, two small rocks resembling claws poked out of the mane. A single, bigger stone projected out of the front of the mane over its head.

"The first one is the same type of Pokemon the Masked Royale had!" Rose mentioned.

"Yeah, a Lycanroc… the evolved form of Rockruff," Wes nodded.

"Actually, they are both Lycanroc," the Rotom-Dex said, emerging suddenly. "Allow me! Rockruff evolves into Lycanroc, which has two different forms based on when it evolves. It evolves into Midday Form Lycanroc during the day and Midnight Form Lycanroc during the night."

"Good morning, did you enjoy your nap when I needed you earlier?" Wes growled, glaring at the device.

"S-sorry, Wes!" Rotom sheepishly stated. "The map's GPS feature really drains my battery, zzt!"

"Well, at least they are just both pure rock types!" Wes smirked, looking confident. "Easy, Sakura let's go! Z-Move time!" Wes began to do the same poses that Lana showed them earlier, yellow energy surrounding him and going into Sakura, who cried with power. "Hydro Vortex!" A stream of water burst forth from Sakura's mouth, twisting into a giant tornado of water and flying towards the Midday Lycanroc.

"Intercept it, Luna! Use Protect!" Olivia shouted just in time. The Midnight Lycanroc, Luna, ran in front of the attack, putting it's arms up in an X shape, a green barrier emerging. The Z Move slammed into the barrier, and despite some of the attack getting through, Luna was mostly unharmed by the attack. Sol looked at Luna almost lovingly, who grinned back.

"Are they… a couple?" Chloe asked. "If so, that's so cute!"

"Not the time!" Wes shouted, gritting his teeth. "Sakura, Scald!" Sakura inhaled to attack again, but suddenly gasped in pain as electricity coursed though her suddenly, the paralysis taking full effect.

"Sol, use Thunder Fang!" Olivia command. Sol charged forward in a burst of speed, slamming into Sakura and causing her to cry out in pain as he bit into her with electric charged fangs. Sakura collapsed, too injured to continue battling.

"Sakura, return!" Wes called, recalling the Tender Pokemon. Blake looked concerned at the Lura Ball and let out a worried whimper, which caught the attention of Wes who merely reached up and petted him on the head. "It's ok, she'll be fine." He said, taking out the Permier Ball and tossing it into the air. "Come out, Inigo!"

"A fire type?" Olivia asked, as the Young Fowl Pokemon confused. "Though it is also a fighting type you are taking a big risk here."

"It just might be worth it," Wes declared. "Rose, I'll follow your lead!"

"Got it! Riolu, use Force Palm!" Rose commanded. Riolu ran forward, his palm at the ready to strike.

"Accelerock!" Olivia commanded. Sol once again charged, slamming into Riolu, who winced in pain and was sent flying, landing on the ground in a huff. Riolu got back up and changed again, but Luna got in the way and took the hit, gritting her teeth as the attack hit.

"Counter!" Olivia commanded. A flash of red energy surrounded Luna, who suddenly slammed full force into Riolu, sending him flying so far back he landed right at Rose's feet, huffing in pain and struggling to stand up.

"Counter is a move that counters any physical attack, inflicting double the damage taken back onto the opponent," Juan pointed out, looking at the two Lycanroc. "Sol is being defended by Luna, who can turn the moves of her opponents against them, leaving Sol strong and able to fight without being weakened… a prime strategy."

"Riolu, get up!" Rose fell to her knees, watching helplessly as her Riolu struggled to stand.

"We'll keep battling while you take care of Riolu!" Wes said to her, glaring at the field.

"Too bad it is over," Olivia stated, doing some strong looking poses where she flexed her muscles. The yellow energy that had surrounded Wes moments before was now flowing from her, and right into Sol. "Use Continental Crush!" Sol leapt into the air, and a giant orb of stone began to surround him, before slowly descending back to earth where Inigo was standing.

"Use Protect!" Wes commanded. Inigo crossed his arms into a X and surrounded himself in a barrier just as Luna did before, causing the giant rock to slam into it and shatter. Much like when Luna shielded itself from the Z Move, Inigo was still standing, only this time the outcome wasn't as nice for the receiver. Inigo was on one knee, panting heavily. Luna was approaching, grinning as she prepared to strike.

"Inigo, look out!" Wes shouted. Blake also shouted in worry, and suddenly Luna began to strike, but her eyes bulged in pain, her arm stopping just before she could complete her attack. Standing in front of Inigo, with his palm right in the gut of the Lycanroc, was Riolu, who had attacked right in the weak spot of Luna and inflicted a critical hit. Luna fell to the ground, knocked out by the attack, and Riolu barked confidently, suddenly surrounded by a blue glow, growing larger and emerging as a new Pokemon. He was still bipedal, and canine-like, with blue and black fur. He now had a short, round spike on each forepaw as opposed to the nubs from before, in addition to a third spike coming from his chest. Red eyes glared down Sol on the battle field over his long snout, his long ears flicking a bit as he stared his opponent down.

"Riolu evolved into Lucario!" Rotom crackled, excited by the development. "Lucario, the Aura Pokemon! It concentrates its mental energy and fires off mysterious waves called auras, which can crush boulders of large size to dust."

"Lucario," Rose breathed, standing up from kneeling. Lucario turned and barked, looking directly at Inigo, who merely grinned a bit.

"Lucario told Inigo to just stay back so he isn't knocked out, and that he will handle Sol," Nayru translated from the side lines.

"Interesting, so that is how it is," Olivia said, smirking. "Alright then, Accelerock!" Sol charged and slammed into Lucario, who was forced back by the attack but barked as he shook it off, ready for more.

"Since Lucario is a fighting and steel type, he takes so little damage from the rock attacks that he can just shrug it off!" Wes realized, watching the battle.

"Alright then, Force Palm!" Rose commanded. Lucario changed forward, slamming his palm into Sol and sending him flying. Sol got up slowly, growling a little in fury.

"Use Drill Run!" Olivia commanded. Sol charged, his body glowing a bit as he ran.

"Careful, that's a ground type move!" Juan shouted in warning.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Rose commanded. Lucario cupped his hands to the side and began to charge a ball of blue energy in them, just as Sol leapt into the air and began to spin like a drill. Lucario threw the ball of energy, which slammed into Sol and sent him flying backwards again, unable to complete his attack. Sol began to get up, but only smirked when he was halfway up before collapsing again, unable to battle.

"We did it!" Rose shouted, dancing happy.

"You did it," Wes admitted, sheepishly grinning at her. "I don't think I really deserve much credit for this one."

"Well, you both won by the rule book," Olivia said, walking up to them. "And in tradition with the Island Trial Challenge, I present both of you with the Rockium Z! Use it wisely, you two."

"Thank you, Olivia!" both Wes and Rose said, bowing to her, which was also done by Inigo and Lucario. "We will!" Wes and Rose both grinned at one another at that, and were soon joined by Nayru, Chloe, Juan and Lillie in celebration, the friends momentarily forgetting about the other events of that day in celebration of the win that they all had witnessed.


	18. Aether Paradise

**So this is awkward...**

 **Haven't updated this story in literally three months. Apologies for that, but I got fired from my job, had to hunt for a new one, then after that Kingdom Hearts 3 took over my freaking life, so much so that me and my friend (who is also the Beta Reader of this story), The King of Emerald, began a Kingdom Hearts collab fanfic on his profile which you can check out if you want! It's under my Favorite Stories for quick and easy access.**

 **Anyway, I thought it was about time I got this written so, yeah I went on ahead and did that. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Lucario (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

"Alright, I believe it's time I got my explanation."

Wes sighed, turning as he saw Lillie, Juan, and Chloe entering his room. Rose was already in there, sitting on Wes' bed and petting Maple, along with Nayru who was just watching with interest. The red eyed glasses wearing teen turned to face Lillie, who had her cheeks puffed up and a look on her face that told Wes he wasn't getting out of this one without at least explaining himself to her, as much as he felt like any explanation he gave to Lillie would only make her more upset. "Alright, but first things first… Gladion is your brother, correct? Why isn't he attending this school with you?"

"He and I have different agendas when it comes to… certain things", Lillie mutter, but Wes couldn't help but notice that when she said that, he seemed to pull her duffle bag closer to her body.

Wes looked suspiciously at the bag for a moment, but an 'ahem' from Lillie brought his focus back to her eyes, which Wes couldn't help but notice was a very similar shade of green to Rose's own eyes. "Alright, after we had discovered Zero in the forest, he nudged me when we began to leave, as it drawn to me. Shortly after that, Gladion showed up and battled me… defeated me rather easily once his own Type Null was thrown out into battle. Zero stepped in and stopped the fighting before it could get worse, then Jason showed up to question Gladion…"

"Wait, Jason knows about Zero!?" Lillie asked, surprised.

Wes nodded, "Yes. In fact, it's because of Jason I still have Zero with me. Anyway, the reason I am so reluctant to use him in battle was because of something that happened the day we got our Pokemon Eggs."

At this, Rose looked confused. "Wait, I thought Jason and you were just talking about school work."

"That technically wasn't a lie", Wes explained, turning to her. Rose couldn't help but notice how serious Wes was at the present moment, his face stern and with no trace of his usual joking manner present. "Jason was approached by a strange group that called themselves the Ultra Recon Squad, and when we battled them, they used a strange Pokemon they called an Ultra Beast." At that, Lillie shuddered, which Wes immediately picked up on, however he paid it no extra attention and continued. "Jason told me that if I could find out anything more about them, or what a group known as the Aether Foundation was up to, then he would make it up to me… with an assignment taken off my record." Wes felt it wasn't necessary to point out said assignment was the midterm, as his own curiosity was outweighing his desire to get an automatic A+ on the test.

"Okay, so that explains that", Lillie muttered, thinking to herself. "That also explains why Gladion was so focused on you at the Battle Royale place."

Wes sighed, turning to her again. "Correct. I don't know why Zero is so drawn to me, and quite honestly whatever it is that makes him attached to me, it doesn't change the fact that I do not have the same level of control over him Gladion does. All I know is something draws him to me, and I'm stuck with him for now."

Lillie nodded, smiling a bit. "Okay… sorry to sound like I am accusing you of being a bad guy, Wes. It's just…"

"Highly suspicious that me and your brother seem to have a very rare Pokemon that no one else has and happened to have previous history with one another when you saw us at the Royale's place."

Lillie nodded, "Well, thanks for answering my questions… sorry to bother you,"

But as she turned to leave, a sudden flash of light flew past her and took shape at the door. Sakura was sitting there, staring down at Lillie with an expression that was daring her to try and move the serpentine creature. Wes had his arm raised, the Lure Ball open in his hand. Rose, Chloe, and Juan all gasped, as they had not seen the white haired teen move.

"You got your answers", Wes coolly said, looking at her bag again, his gaze on the bag almost x-ray like. "Now, I think it's time I got mine."

"W-what are you talking about?" Lillie asked, trying to keep a calm voice, though pulling the bag closer to her at the same time.

"Wes, what are you doing!?" Rose shouted, glaring at him.

"Yeah man, there isn't anything in her bag at all!" Juan growled.

"Really?" Wes asked, looking at Juan for a moment before turning back to Lillie and her bag. "Well, I'll be the judge of that one, won't I?"

"Wes, are you sure something is in her bag?" Chloe asked, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else right now.

"Trust me, something is in there", Nayru said, looking at the bag as well. "I've been detecting a presence in that bag ever since we met."

"Y-you must be mistaken", Lillie stuttered.

"If that's the case, then you wouldn't be worried about it, now would you?" Wes suggested, then suddenly snapped his fingers. Within an instant, the bag was trust into the air by Nayru's psychic powers, the zipper on the bag opening. Lillie tried to pull the bag back down, but the grip of Nayru's mental powers was far too strong, and within a second the bag opened, revealing a creature within it which caused both Rose and Chloe to gasp. It looked very similar to a space nebula, with two wisp-like extensions and an ellipse running down its body. The yellow eyes of the creature looked with Wes in joy due to him being freed from his nylon prison, the two blue cheeks of the creature touching its wide smile.

"Nebby!" Lillie gasped, immediately trying to grab the Pokemon, however it leapt into the air and hovered there, just out of Lillie's reach.

"Care to explain?" Wes asked, looking at her with a stern look.

Lillie blushed and stuttered for a moment before sighing to herself. "You all know Gladion is my brother… but no one knows my true family origins… I am the daughter of Lusamine, President of the Aether Foundation."

"Wait, what!?" Rose and Chloe gasped, though Wes only nodded. "And I take it Juan knew this entire time?"

Lillie nodded before drawing in a breath and continuing, "Three months ago, I ran away from home at the same time as my brother. My mother had acquired a Pokemon called Cosmog… which is Nebby. I grabbed Nebby and tried to escape Aether Paradise, my mother was planning on using Nebby for something… I don't know what, but whatever it was, it was not going to be good, I could just tell… anyway, Nebby used his powers to Teleport me away, but ended up in a coma for a week. I didn't know what to do, so I asked for help from the first person I saw."

"Juan?" Wes asked, turning to the studious teen.

"Yeah", Juan nodded. "I helped nurse Nebby back to health, and I swore to keep it a secret. I told Lillie about a Pokemon School that she could sign up for, use as a hideout and for protection. Ever since then, I've been helping take care of Nebby, in hopes that we wouldn't be discovered harboring a rare Pokemon."

Wes thought for a moment before nodding, looking up at Nebby. Nebby flew down and landed in Wes' arms, happily being petted by the teen before flying over the Chloe, who also began to pet the space looking Pokemon. "Well, consider yourselves to have three more helpers then."

"Wait, what!?" Lillie asked, stunned. Juan also looked flabbergasted at the notion, as did Rose.

"What, do you think I was going to report this to Jason or something?" Wes asked, his goofy deminer once again appearing as he grinned. "We'll keep Nebby safe, from whatever your mom is planning."

"I agree", Chloe stated, as Nebby cooed in her arms. "Besides, being in a bag for too long can't be good for the little guy. It'd be better if we let him out from time to time and interacted with him."

Wes nodded, and turned to Rose. The redhead teen blinked, looking from one person to the next, all of their eyes focused on her. Finally, she sighed and shrugged. "I'd rather we report it to Jason, so that he could help us… but if you four insist, then I will help however I can."

"Oh, thank you guys so much!" Lillie grinned, cheering to herself.

XxXxXxX

"Alright, it's time to pack up!" Jason was saying, walking from room to room the next morning, knocking on each one in turn. "We need to be out of the hotel by noon, so no delaying, got it?" The older teen sighed, having just knocked on the last door and receiving nothing but a rude reply in response from the girl inside (which of course resulted in his issuing one of his signature detentions). He was walking down the steps of the grand hotel, rubbing his head to try and alleviate his throbbing headache when he suddenly stopped just short of the bottom step, sending a presence.

"Good morning, Professor Jason."

Jason looked up to see an elderly man standing in the hotel lobby, wearing green glasses that drew attention away from his balding head of hair. He also wore a lab coat, which seemed to sweep across the ground as he walked from the entrance to where Jason was standing.

"Faba", Jason scowled, walking forward and meeting the man halfway into the lobby. "What are you doing here?"

"Now, let's not let a little argument that we had a few months ago ruin our friendship," Faba calmly said, adjusting his green cuffs on his white gloves.

"'Friendship? You rudely kicked me out of your foundation when all I wanted to do was ask a few questions", Jason growled.

"Only on orders", Faba calmly replied, quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, I have come here with an invitation to our paradise from Ms. Lusamine herself," This peaked Jason's interests, and Faba took his expression as a sign to continue. "She is offering the chance for some of your students to take a tour of Aether Paradise and- goodness me, where did he come from?"

Jason blinked, before turning and seeing Wes standing there, looking between Faba and Jason eagerly. "I am finished packing… so, what are you two talking about?"

Jason immediately realized that Wes had been listening in on the conversation and gave the silver haired student a pat on the shoulder. "This is Wes, one of the top students here at the academy. So, you said you wanted to give students a tour of the place? Well, he should definitely be one of them."

"I see", Faba nodded, stroking his chin. "Anyone else?"

"Wes usually hangs out with a few students that I am sure do not mind going with him", Jason noted, turning to Faba. "I will make sure their stuff gets from the hotel to the school safely, so once you are done with the tour, just bring them back to the school."

Faba nodded, and about fifteen minutes later Wes had gathered Rose, Juan and Chloe to come with him. Faba seemed to be expecting someone else, but dismissed his curiosity as quickly as it came, before ushering the students onto an Aether Paradise boat. While they were leaving, Jason turned and leaned against a pillar in a very convincing manner, before muttering out of the corner of his mouth, "The daughter of the Aether Foundation President didn't want to go, huh?"

Lillie's gasp came from behind the pillar, and after a few moments she peaked from behind her hiding spot to look at Jason, "H-how did you…?"

"I make it my business to know what my students are up to", Jason explained. "Believe me, I've known for a while about your history… as well as the Pokemon you're hiding in your bag."

Lillie groaned, admitting defeat, especially since a 'Pew' sound came from her bag due to Nebby not wanting to be in there now. "First Wes, now you… what are you two, Psychic types?"

"Well, I can't speak for Wes, but I do have a good sixth sense when it comes to certain things about Pokemon", Jason jokingly replied, before looking at the docks where the boat was departing from. "Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me."

XxXxXxX

A small, white luxury boat ended up taking the four willing teens to a small, man made island that stuck out of the water on a bunch of pillars, the boat docking just underneath this monstrosity of steel. Rose stepped out first, looking around and frowning as there was nothing around them but steel in the dock location. "This seems… unsafe. I can't see this place being 100% rust proof in open sea water."

Wes stepped out next, frowning at the redhead before giving a sigh. "Come on, I think it's cool!"

"Of course you do", Rose muttered, shaking her head in frustration at the childlike innocence of the teen, wondering where the serious Wes she had seen just yesterday was.

"Master, I hate to be the one to point this out, but we have a job to do, remember?" Nayru whispered, floating off the boat behind Wes. Her trainer only nodded, along with Rose, who despite not knowing exactly why Jason had asked Wes to investigate this place, was willing to help in any way she could. Lillie's story had gotten her and Chloe wondering about this place as well, and when Juan stepped out, Faba turned and sweat dropped a little as the four trainers, as well as Nayru and Maple, were looking at him as if lasers were coming out of their eyes.

"W-why so serious, you guys?" he asked in a panic. "W-well, I might as well explain a bit about w-who we are as we walk." He began to lead them to the triangle shaped elevator at the back of the docks, gesturing all around them as he did. "Aether Paradise is a facility created for the conservation of Pokemon. It has been outfitted with all of the latest technology for this purpose. Downstairs, our teams work on developing new PokeBalls and more… yes, all for the sake of Pokemon conservation. However, you will not be able to use any of your empty PokeBalls within Aether Paradise. A jamming signal is broadcast throughout the facility to prevent them from functioning."

They finally reached the elevator, which was coming down with a normal dressed employee operating the contraption, as well as a purple haired woman, wearing white clothes as well, but with pink highlights on the neck and arms. "Excuse me, Mr. Faba?"

"Yes, excuse you!" Faba replied bitterly. "What is the meaning of that form of address? I have a title for a reason! How else will anyone know how important I am?"

"Pretentious much?" Rose whispered, causing everyone else to nod, though Wes looked at her confused as if wondering what the word meant.

"Yes… Branch Chief Faba", the woman corrected herself, though her tone seemed to take a sour dip for a moment at that.

"Now, I must go speak with the president about our conservation efforts on Akala", Faba said importantly, his ego practically swelling out of him at that point. "Show these children around, and then take them to meet the president as well." He then stepped into the elevator, where guard rails popped up before rocking him up towards the main facility itself.

"Phew", the woman sighed, turning back towards them. She gave them a warm smile before bowing a bit, adjusting her pink glasses as they slid down her nose from the bow. "Welcome to Aether Paradise, Wes, Rose, Chloe and Juan. My name is Wicke."

"It's nice to meet you", Wes greeted her before realizing she addressed them all by name. "But how did you know who we are?"

She merely smiled and nodded at them, her golden eyes showing no signs of any fowl play. "We work closely with the school, so there are times where we learn of the students there. Before the tour was offered to the school, the president managed to get a list of students from the professors." That made them all pale, as they realized that list could have had Lillie's name on it as well… though, if it did, why didn't Faba confront them about her. They were brought back from their thoughts, however, by Wicke stepping towards the descended elevator. "Let me show you around. The main entrance is up above us." They all stepped on the elevator and after a single button press, they were sent up to the main reception area, after a moment of glancing around, they turned to Wicke, who was looking at Wes and Rose with a expression of interest. "You two are trial goers, aren't you? Are you hoping to become champions?"

"You bet", Wes smirked at her. "Originally, I just came here because my mom and adoptive dad wanted me to, but once I heard about the Island Trial Challenge I had to participate!"

"Even if it meant stealing your way into it", Rose sarcastically stated, and Wes glared at her.

"She got you there, master", Nayru snickered.

"Oh my", Wicke said, looking at Nayru stunned. "A talking gardevoir… tell me, are you enjoying your stay here so far?"

"It's a nice place so far", Nayru stated, though the odd look Wicke was giving her put her off a bit.

"That is good", Wicke nodded with a smile. "We cannot often understand the Pokemon here, so sometimes I feel like we aren't doing right by them… but if a Pokemon herself says that she likes it here, then I guess that is good enough for me… would you all like to see the conservation area upstairs? That way, you can get a taste for what we really are about here."

With everyone nodding in agreement, they shot up the floors into a final, top area with several bridges and a glass, dome roof that let the sun in. The area was full of glass land, trees, rocks and tons of water, almost as if the wilds the Pokemon lived in was replicated perfectly in this environment.

"Aether Paradise is a safe haven for all Pokemon", Wicke told them all as they looked around in wonder at the place. "For this reason, the use of PokeBalls is strictly forbidden within the conservation area. We keep Pokemon that have been targeted by Team Skull here as well… and we also try to support Pokemon that need a little extra protection, like Corsola, for example. They are quite terribly overhunted by Mareanie."

"Yeah, we learned quite a bit about them", Juan noted, looking over and noticing a Corsola was perched on a rock nearby, watching them with interest. "Nature has a cruel side, just as it has it's blessings… but can the Aether Foundation really protect all Pokemon that are out there?"

Wicke nodded at that, "Nature does have its own balance, of course. It can be difficult to judge just how much we humans should try and affect that."

"Seems reasonable enough", Chloe smiled, looking over at some more Pokemon. "And the Pokemon seem quite happy with it as well, right Wes?"

Wes only nodded, though he seemed to be more keen on listening then anything else. So far, the Aether Foundation seemed pretty standard as Pokemon Activists. Was Jason really sure they were up to something suspicious? Before he could ask, however, the sound of Wicke's voice brought him back.

"If you'd like to meet President Lusamine, she should be here in the conservation area by now."

"Yeah, that would be lovely", Wes said. She was the one that would answer his questions, he just knew it. Wicke nodded at them again, before leading them across the bridges before they meet up with a very young-looking woman. It was almost looking like an older Lillie, her hair and eyes were exactly the same color, though her voice when she spoke sounded much more confident.

"My sweet Pokemon, I promise I'll keep you safe. I will protect you with my love." She then heard them approaching, her white dress with yellow highlights swaying a bit as she sharply turned to them. "Ah, you must be Wes, Rose, Chloe and Juan." Her high heels clicked as she walked over to meet them. "Welcome to Aether Paradise, the Aether Foundation's own private island." A warm smile crossed her face at that, and Wes couldn't help but wonder again if they really were all that bad. "I am the president of this foundation, but please, just call me Lusamine."

At that point, Wes relaxed a bit, putting on a smile to her. "I dunno how you did all this… you're not even that much older than us."

At that, Lusamine laughed. "You flatter me, Wes… but I am over 40."

"I do not believe you, where is your Fountain of Youth if that is the case", Wes stupidly said, which only made Lusamine laugh harder.

"Oh you sweet child", Lusamine giggled. "You're such a charmer. Though, I will admit that your style is a bit wanting… I might have to help you pick out a smashing outfit sometime, then no girl could resist you."

"Like what you wear?" Wes asked, looking a bit concerned. "I dunno if anyone I know could pull that off… except maybe Lillie."

That is when the air got tense. Lusamine and Wicke both looked a bit stunned, and nervous looks appeared on the faces Nayru, Rose, Maple, Chloe and Juan. Just as the tension got to be a bit too much, however, Lusamine spoke again. "Oh, don't be naïve. Trust me, children would all be happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them."

 _And there it is,_ Wes thought to himself, his little banter having broken through Lusamine's shell. This shocked everyone, who couldn't help but notice that Wes' attitude changed again, back to how it was when he was questioning Lillie in their hotel room. However, before Wes could say anything else, the foundation began to shake rapidly. Everyone looked around as the shaking slowly stopped.

"That tremor", Wicke muttered. "Did something happen on the lower floors?" Before anyone could say anything else, however, the air seemed to get tense again, but this time not just because of a mental state of mind. The very air at a certain focal point over one of the bridges seemed to suddenly twist, before suddenly it exploded into a large light blue hole, with several literal cracks coming out of it. Rose screamed and grabbed onto Wes' arm, and Chloe jumped back in shock, her eyes wide. Wes and Juan held their ground, but even they seemed to be wide eyed at the sight. Suddenly, what looked like a giant, white and light blue jellyfish swam through the hole, and hovered in the air before them.

"You are-" Lusamine gasped, stepping forward. "Have you come from… a distant world?"

"Miss Lusamine, step back!" Juan said in a panic. "That thing's not right!"

The creature cooed a bit, as Lusamine shook her head. "You poor creature…"

Suddenly, however, the beast attacked, swinging at her. Nayru jumped in the way, creating a barrier between the jellyfish creature and the president. The beast suddenly unleashed a powerful shockwave, knocking everyone except for Nayru back, as a red aura surrounded it.

"T-that is the same aura that usually surrounds the Totem Pokemon!" Rose shouted, looking at it shocked.

"Yeah, but much stronger", Wes hissed, standing up. "But it's so strange looking… I don't think that's a normal Pokemon… c-could it be an Ultra Beast?" At that, Lusamine looked over, stunned at the kid. Wes then noticed that, despite saying Ultra Beast, Zero did not erupt from his ball like last time. "Alright, Nayru, Psychock!"

"W-wait!" Lusamine shouted, but it was a bit too late. The order was given, and Nayru obeyed it, unleashing a powerful stream of psychic particles to slam into the beast, which shrieked in pain. However, just as quickly as it appeared, the assault pushed it back into the hole, where it and the crack disappeared instantly.

"That was… weird", Juan muttered, trying to process the events that had just occurred.

"So, it's true", Lusamine muttered, looking at the spot where the creature vanished. "I still need that Pokemon. I need to get it back."

"Miss Lusamine, are you ok?" Juan asked, the woman nodding in response.

"That Ultra Beast just now", a familiar voice to Wes stated. Wes turned and gasped, seeing Dulse and Zossie standing there. "It came from the other end of an Ultra Wormhole, a being from another world, a world that you know as Ultra Space."

"W-who?" Rose asked, looking confused. "What is with those outfits!?"

"They are my guests", Lusamine explained. "The Ultra Recon Squad. They have been giving the foundation advice about the Ultra Beasts."

"Dulse and Zossie", Wes said, stepping forward.

"We meet again, Island Trial Challenger Wes", Zossie greeted him, causing the students to look at Wes.

 _These are the two that Jason was approached by, and that he battled?_ Rose thought in shock.

"We came to the Alola region from another world by passing through an Ultra Wormhole", Dulse explained. "We came from a world of darkness, whose light was stolen by the one called Necrozma."

"See, this Necrozma is, like, unbelievably strong!" Zossle continued. "It can wield light however it likes, and it does run wild sometimes, but it also shares this light it has with others too!"

"But everything will be fine", Lusamine said, stepping forward and facing them all. "If this Necrozma, or even an Ultra Beast like the one we just saw, should come to this world from another, the Aether Foundation will be prepared to protect the light of Alola. Rest easy…" she seemed to look at Wes in particular as she said this. "You will not need to worry about a thing." She then gave one of her smiles, before walking off with Dulse and Zossie, the orange haired alien girl giving Wes a wave as she walked off.

"I don't trust them", Juan muttered.

"Me either", Rose nodded, thinking about what they just witnessed. "Something else is amiss…"

"Come, children", Wicke said, walking forward with them. As they walked, they could hear Lusamine and Wicke talking, and thankfully, thanks to Nayru, they were able to hear the conversation at hand.

"Take the children back to their school safely", Lusamine told Wicke. "I will need to go talk to Faba downstairs. It seems that our experiments to open an Ultra Wormhole did not go as well as we would've liked them to." They parted ways then, with Lusamine and the Ultra Recon Squad going one way, and Wicke and the students going another. Lusamine gave a cheery wave to them as she walked off, before Wicke pressed a button on the elevator that took them back to the docks.

"Never thought we'd actually see an Ultra Wormhole here", Wes thought out loud.

"What happened here today was a surprise to us all", Wicke said, stopping at the boat they were to take back. "I was very glad to meet all of you… please take these to remember your visit today!" She then held out four items; a coin that looked like Meowth's, a white wing, a book on healing Pokemon, and a yellow stone with a lightning bolt on the inside.

"An amulet coin, a pretty wing, a book, and a Thunderstone", Juan noted, his hands instantly going for the book. "This will be very useful for learning about healing Pokemon. I think I'll take this one."

"I like how the wing looks", Chloe gasped, looking at the wing. "I think I'll take this one!"

"That comes from the Unova region", Wicke explained, smiling at her. "You might want to ask your professor about that region sometime."

"This coin thing looks interesting", Wes muttered, taking the Amulet Coin. "What does it do?"

"It's mostly just a souvenir, but rumors say that people who carry them become rich", Wicke explained, shrugging. "Dunno if it's true, but we don't need it here."

"This is a Thunderstone, right?" Rose asked, taking the rock from her, as the final gift.

"That's right", Wicke nodded, with a grin. "When your pikachu is ready, you can evolve it into Raichu with that stone. I am sure that since yours came from Alola, she will become an Alolan Raichu and gain the Psychic typing from that!"

With that, she bid the trainers farewell as they boarded the boat that would take them back to the school on Melemele Island, each one lost in thought about the day they had all experienced, and how exactly Jason was going to be told about all that happened to them.


	19. Kanto-Sensei

**I think this is the best thing I ever uploaded to FanFiction!**

 **For those who have never played Okami, you might not get the reference. However, there is man in that game called** **Onigiri-Sensei who I both love and am terrified of. I based a character off him for my Pokemon story, so enjoy the chaos that this will ensue!**

 **Enjoy this chapter, and thanks as always to** **TimtheVocalist for beta-reading/co-writing this chapter... yes, I said TimtheVocalist, he changed his name from The King of Emerald.**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Lucario (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

Jason sighed, looking at the lessons plans that he had laid out, though his focus was no where near the paper that was lying out in front of him. He kept thinking about what Wes had told him about Aether Paradise and what their plans were. Why was Lusamine so focused on this project, even to the point where she herself was going to open an Ultra Wormhole? Would it not be safer to just increase their defenses instead of attempting to go after this Necrozma themselves? Or was there more to the plan than was being let on?

With a shake of his head, he snatched the lesson plan off his desk and began to walk, heading outside into the setting Alolan sun. Despite going on the walk to attempt to clear his head, all he could think about was what these so called 'Pokemon Activists' could be up to. He knew that not all was right with the woman in charge, and while her methods seemed good on the surface, there was a hint of desire to obtain something else, like she was wanting more, such as to have one of those creatures as her own.

A dull sound of wood hitting the ground temporarily took his mind off what he was thinking about, and he went back to trying to figure out what Lusamine was up to, but the sound was heard by the champion again, this time sounding closer than the last time, and suddenly Jason's eyes went wide. The sound vibrated through his ears, and only one man that he knew of had a cane that made that exact sound whenever it struck the ground.

"Hello Jason", came the voice of a high-pitched old man. "Fancy seeing you here!"

 _Not him, not him, for the love of Arceus not HIM_ , Jason thought, but as he turned, he knew it was in vain. Standing there was a short, hunched over elderly man, wearing a white gi with matching pants, and a black belt around his waist. He carried with him a four-foot-tall cane, decorated on top with a rainbow colored gemstone, red at the top and working it's way down the colors, a black logo that looked like a curved diamond with three lines in it present at the top of the cane.

"K-Kanto sensei", Jason stuttered, looking afraid for the first time. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Just traveling the world as usual", the old man explained, grinning at him. "Why is the Kalos Champion here?"

"I-I've become a teacher at the Academy here", he explained, sweat dropping.

"A teacher, you say? Mind if I take a look?" Kanto-sensei asked, and before Jason could speak again, he found that his lesson plan had mysteriously vanished, and was in the hands of the old man. "Hmmm… a lesson in Mega Evolution as a reward for good performance? Fancy that! I'll guest!"

"W-w-wait!" Jason said in a panic, his eyes widened at the thought of this man around his students. "I really don't think that would be wise… I mean, I wouldn't want to distract you from your travels, master! And b-besides, I was trained by the best in Mega Evolution, so I feel like I got this lesson down, so-"

"What are you trying to say, Jason?" Kanto asked him, his normally higher pitched voice taking a decline down, his eyes narrowing and his head turning to the right, almost unnaturally. "You trying to imply that I would not be the best one for your students to learn this from?"

"N-no sir!" Jason stuttered, looking more fearful then before as the elder man rotated his head.

"Splendid then, I'll see you tomorrow!" Kanto grinned, his head magically back in place, before he walked off, humming happily to himself. The color from Jason's face was completely gone, his eyes wide staring after Kanto-sensei, his mouth gaped open in horror.

"…well, Mew dammit." Morning came quicker then Jason was hoping for, and soon he was standing in front of his class with a nervous look on his face as they came into the room in groups. He was watching very carefully for one student in particular and ignored any and all questions the other students had about his current bags under his eyes, or the somber expression on his face. Finally, he spotted the red-eyed teen and walked over to him with a brisk pace. "Hey Wes! I need you to do be a _very big favor_!"

"What's in it for me?" Wes asked, looking confused at him.

"Your life!" Jason replied, to both the bafflement and confusion of his student. "Just trust me on this, okay? We have a _very_ important guest speaker today, so I want you to be on your _absolute_ best behavior today, got it? No jokes, no second-guessing him, no making fun of him- none of that at all!"

Wes raised an eyebrow, before letting out a chuckle. "You're acting like he's Arceus and I'm Darkrai or something... but alright, I get it. I'll try not to make fun of this so called-"

"DO!" Jason shouted, causing Wes to go wide-eyed. "Do not try, DO!"

"Okay, okay... jeez", Wes muttered, walking off. Jason let out a massive sigh, turning and seeing that all the students were there, and like clockwork, Kanto sensei began to hobble into the room. Every student looked at him in confusion, and immediately Jason could tell that Wes had thought of at least two insults.

 _Please hold your tongue,_ Jason prayed to himself. "Good morning, class!" Jason began, sounding very out of character with his cheery voice... thought it definitely did not match his pale complexion and wide eyes. "As you can see, we have a very special guest today! This is one of the greatest masters of Mega Evolution! Please give a warm welcome to one of _my teachers_ , Kanto-sensei!"

While the students clapped, Wes covered his mouth in a silent fit of giggles at the name. Mentally cursing him in his head, Jason stepped back to give Kanto-sensei the floor, which the old man hobbled over to with a very snail like pace. "Good morning, students! I would like to begin by asking you all, how many of you have heard of Mega Evolution?" Only a few students raised their hand, causing the old man to laugh. "I am not surprised... only a few trainers have heard the mysterious form of evolution that is Mega Evolution, but how does one do such a feat, I ask."

Rose was the only one to raise her hand, so it was only natural that a wrinkled finger was pointed at her. "Well, Mega Evolution requires three things; the first is a very powerful bond between you and your Pokemon, and the last two items are two rare stones."

"That is correct, young lady", Kanto smiled at her, nodding. "Yes, while most do not believe in the bond part, and consider it optional... it is the two stones that are the key ingredient... the first is a Keystone, which is held by the trainer." He pointed a bony finger at his cane, and showed the rainbow colored gem at the top, which a few students gave 'ooo' and 'ahh's of wonder at the object. "And the second stone is one that a Pokemon will have... Jason?"

The young teacher flinched, and dug a hand into his pocket, pulling out a bigger stone, one that had the same diamond design, though it was a dark green and orangish red. "Personally, I have about three of them, but this is Galladite. This allows my gallade to mega-evolve, making him a force to be reckoned with while the battle is ongoing."

"Mega Evolution can only be achieved in battle, though means that we are not able to understand yet", the guest speaker continued. "Only a select few Pokemon can Mega Evolve; as Jason mentioned Gallade is one of them, then there's..." he pointed suddenly to Nayru. "Gardevoir, you would need a Gardevorite, but you too can Mega Evolve."

"Wow... I didn't even know I could", Nayru muttered.

Normally, one would be shocked to hear her speak, but Kanto only nodded at her. "Then there is Scizor, Beedrill, Gyarados... I could go on. There are only two Pokemon that can Mega Evolve into two different forms, that being Charizard, and the legendary Mewtwo." The mention of the creature's name caused a few students to look in confusion, and others to gasp in horror. Wes, however, took his opportunity to speak up.

"Excuse me, what is Mewtwo?"

"That isn't what this lecture is about, young man", Kanto-sensei said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, but, why bring him up then if you aren't going to show this Mew-whatever to us?"

Kanto blinked in surprise, before chuckling a bit. "Tell me young man, have you heard of this Pokemon until today?" When Wes could not give an answer, he nodded. "Didn't think so. Now, as I was saying-"

"So don't bring him up then, you wrinkled old bag of bones!" Wes snapped, glaring at him. "Why even mention him if you could've just said Charizard and been done with it!"

Jason was about to shout at Wes, but Kanto-sensei began to walk forward, his eyes locked on Wes. The old man came to his desk, an aura of power practically radiating off him, but this was only sensed by Jason, who was beyond terrified of what might happen next.

"Tell me, kid", Kanto-sensei asked. "Who are you to tell me how to teach _my_ lesson?"

"This ain't your lesson, old man", Wes shot back. "It's Jason's! And he's a far better teacher then your senile old ass ever will be!"

 _DO. NOT. DRAG. ME. INTO. THIS._ Jason screamed in his head, catching Nayru's attention.

"Master, please..." Nayru whispered to him, but suddenly a laugh caught all of their attention. Kanto had doubled over, clenching his cane as if his life depended on it as he roared in laughter. Even Wes looked stunned, unsure of what to make of this scene.

"I like you, kid", Kanto grinned, looking down at him. "You got guts! But I am afraid that interrupting a lecture results in a detention here, does it not? Talking back to a teacher, that's another one as well... but instead of Jason punishing you, _I_ will take matters into my own hands."

"Now wait!" Jason immediately sped over, his eyes wide as he held up his hands in a "NO WAY" position. "Kanto-sensei, I apologize for Wes' behavior personally! I will take care of his punishment, y-you don't need to take time out of your busy schedule! I have plenty of ways to handle this situation, if you would-"

"Jason", Kanto suddenly said, glaring at him. "I believe that I can handle this one. Or do I need to show you _your place_ again?"

Jason flinched, gulping nervously. The sound of insane laughter and a terrifying roar echoed in his mind, and he knew that if he pissed off his old teacher _again_ , it would be even _worse_ than last time. "H... Hai, Sensei", Jason replied, surprising everyone with the switch in language. "You... you do know best, after all." He turned to Wes, giving a low sigh. "Wes... after this lesson is over, you will meet with Kanto-sensei outside of the school. You will obey every order he gives you, and go where he tells you to."

"What's he gonna do, make me guide him across the street?" Wes sarcastically asked, grinning.

"More like... climb a mountain", Kanto grinned, turning back to the front of the class and walking forward. "But... that is for then... now, as I was saying, Mega Evolution can only be done once per battle!"

And so the lesson continued on like this for some time. Wes did not make another comment, but the smug look on his face remained. Nayru was looking nervously between Jason, Kanto-sensei, and Wes, reading the situation and not liking the vibes she was getting from this whole ordeal. Jason had a mixture of pity and fear on his face, and occasionally she could swear that Kanto-sensei gave Wes a grin of menacing terror. Finally, Kanto-sensei opened the floor to questions, and the students had several, since Jason seemed to afraid of him.

"How strong are you?"

"I could probably take out most of the Pokemon League champions", Kanto replied, causing many students to get shocked.

"How far have you traveled?" Lillie asked.

"I've been everywhere! From Jhoto to Sinnoh, Unova to Galar!" Kanto explained. Rose perked up at the mention of Galar, a hint of familiarity in her eyes.

"Why is Jason so afraid of you?" Chloe asked, looking at her teacher with a worried expression.

"He knows the pecking order", Kanto stated, grinning and even laughing a bit. "I am his teacher, after all... and soon, I will have another student." He gave Wes a look, before he heard the bell ring, and turned to face the door. "Come, Wes! You have fifteen minutes to meet me outside of the school grounds. Bring your backpack and some supplies, you won't be returning to your dorm tonight."

"Great, a sleepover with an old man", Wes sighed. "Now I _do_ feel like this is punishment."

"Wes", Rose snapped at him, rushing over. "That was so unacceptable! And I thought you had changed a bit! What gave you the right to snap like that?"

"He mentioned that Mew-three-four-whatever and couldn't even show it to us, or just answer my freaking question in the first place", Wes shot back, rolling his eyes. "I had a question and he refused to answer! What did you want me to do!?"

"Mewtwo is a genetically cloned pokemon who's cellular structure is almost identical to that of the mythical pokemon Mew", Jason answered in monotone, startling both Rose and Wes. "The reason only those from Kanto know about it is because of the heavy damage it has caused to those that tried to catch it and failed miserably... even those that do catch it end up releasing it after a month or so due to the pokemon's terrifyingly powerful psychic power overwhelming them and forcing them to release it."

"Thank you!" Wes grinned, pointing at Jason. "See? He's a million times a better teacher then that-"

"The only reason I told you is because you deserve to know what trouble you have gotten yourself into", Jason continued. "Normally, as a champion of Kalos, I am not allowed to divulge the secrets of the legendary pokemon of the other regions, but I made this exception. This is what you are being punished for, Wes. I hope, when you say hi to your ancestors, that you find this information was worth it."

"My what now?" Wes asked, turning to Jason, who only shook his head and walked away. "W-wait, why are you acting like I'm gonna die? Why are you acting like this!? JASON!?"

The young teacher stopped, slowly turning to Wes, his face pale as he shook where he stood. "First rule of Kanto-sensei's training... do _NOT_ divulge any information on Kanto-sensei's training. Failure to do so will result in a session worse than the last." And with that, Jason left, with Wes, Rose, and Nayru suddenly feeling very afraid.

"H-how bad can it be?" Wes asked, a goofy grin appearing on his face. "I-I mean, it's just training, from what it looks like. H-hey, this could make me more powerful than you, Rose!"

"Don't delay any longer, master", Nayru reminded him. "You lost three minutes with that conversation."

"Yeah, yeah", Wes sighed, rushing towards the door. "Bye Rose! See you tomorrow!"

Rose watched him leave the room, blinking a few times before sighing to herself. "Alright... well, I think I'll go train... maybe I can get Rockruff to evolve before sundown... or heck, even after. I think either Lycanroc will be a nice addition to my team!" And with her plan in mind, she happily walked off, unaware of the danger her friend was about to face.

XxXxXxX

"Sooo... I gotta climb this?" Wes asked, pointing towards the rocky surface of the mountain side on Route 1 that Kanto-sensei had guided him too, a little too slow for the teen's liking due to him walking with a cane. By the time he had gotten there, all emotions he felt with Jason's fear were forgotten, and once again he was staring at the old man like he was a dust bag waiting to burst.

"That is correct", Kanto-sensei replied, smiling to the young trainer. "I will meet you at the top, young man!" With that, he took out an ordinary PokeBall, and sent out a Charizard. Unlike normal Charizard, however, this one was massive, standing about twice the height of an ordinary Charizard. On it's tail was a band, and within that band sat a black and blue colored Mega Stone, which Wes noticed right away, before looking at the Pokemon with awe.

"Whoa... feed your Charizard too many rare candies?" Wes asked, as Kanto-sensei was lifted onto the back of the beast.

"I don't believe in rare candies", he replied, grinning again. "Now, I will be waiting. Don't keep me waiting too long though, or there will be more meteors!"

"Wait, meteors?" Wes asked, though his question was ignored _again_ , as the old man was wisked away by the lizard Pokemon. "...he ignored one of my questions for the last time!" And with rage filling him, he began to scale the mountain side, as Nayru hovered behind him, unwilling to join her master in his punishment... at least, not until she didn't have a choice to. Eventually, after what seemed like hours, and the sun had began to decend in the sky, Wes made it to the top, panting heavily at the physical effort required to make it here.

"Good", Kanto said, nodding at him, keeping warm by his Charizard's flame. "You're finally here... now, I have a gift for you... here!" He tossed a familiar looking gem to Wes, and another one to Nayru. Wes looked at the rainbow colored gem in confusion, while Nayru noticed the one she had was just like the Charizard one, only bright green with a green and red diamond on the inside.

"...I feel like this is more of a reward then anything else", Wes said with a look of confusion. "A-are you sure this is punishment, sir? ...sir?"

Kanto sensei began to chuckle, then laugh loudly. "Oh, you have no idea, eh? Well, don't worry, I'll spell it out for you. The lesson today is to see if you have what it takes to make those work... while my Charizard here attacks you", the old man said, reaching up and tapping the stone on his cane. Immediately, a huge amount of energy left the cane, traveling through the man, and a disturbing sound reached Wes' ears. Dozens of cracks began to travel through Kanto's body, and his head even twisted and turned quite a bit, almost spinning in place. His body soon began to straighten, standing tall and proud as his wrinkled, skinny body became sculpted instantly, looking much younger than he did only seconds ago. As the man's transformation was completed and he stood twice as tall as he did before, the Charizard changed as well. Gone was the red and yellow dragon-like lizard they knew; instead, a black creature with a blue underbelly, jagged spikes on his shoulders, and even blue flames erupting from its mouth emerged, staring them down with a fierce, predatory gaze in its crimson eyes.

"Whoa..." Nayru gasped, staring at them both. "M-Master, I'm scared..."

Wes blinked, the sudden change in Kanto-sensei startling him more than the Charizard's own transformation. Finally, he snickered, grinning again. "So what, when I do that am I gonna grow too? Because if that's true, I'll still be taller than you!"

" **You only wish that this would happen to you, you little maggot-chum!** " Kanto-sensei roared, startling Wes with his gruff voice and his new vocabulary. He turned to his charizard, a fierce scowl on his face. " **Charizard! Teach this scum where he belongs on the pecking order! DRACO METEOR!** "

The Charizard let out a loud roar, before suddenly shooting off into the sky, faster than any of them could see. Wes blinked in surprise, stunned at both Kanto-sensei's change, and the Charizard's speed. "Uh... sir? I d-don't think that's how Draco Meteor is performed."

" **Maybe to a blubbering baby brat like you! But MY Charizard is anything but weak! If you want it done right, you go to space like a true master AND MAKE THE METEORS COME TO YOU!** " Kanto roared, beginning to laugh maniacally.

"...I-I'm sorry, what?" Wes squeaked in horror, before staring up into the sky and letting out a terrifying gasp. Nayru looked up as well, and her mouth fell open, but no sound came out. Descending onto the land was a giant, flaming meteorite, falling at speeds that Wes could barely comprehend. The dragon was riding the rock, augmenting it's speed with his weight, and breathing fire onto it. Soon, the meteor took on a blue glow, as the flames surrounding it from entry into the atmosphere turned from orange to blue as well. "WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!?"

" **WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE AND GET READY, MAGGOT! YOU MAKE MEGA-EVOLUTION WORK, THIS LESSON IS OVER! IF NOT, I THROW METEORS AT YOU UNTIL THE SUN COMES UP!** " Kanto yelled, still laughing as Charizard's earth-shattering roar filled the air.

XxXxXxX

Rose blinked, looking over at the streak of blue in the sky with both confusion and worry. "I-Is that a shooting star, or a meteor?"

"Pay no attention to the shooting star!" Jason announced, loud enough for the other students to snap back to him. "No one is to go to Route 1 until tomorrow! I have already sent my pokemon to patrol the route! Anyone that is caught will be suspended for a week!"

"S-suspended?" Juan asked, looking stunned. "What in tarnation is going on with Wes and that old man?"

"Something fishy, that's for sure..." Rose said, narrowing her eyes and looking at the meteorite with concern. "Maybe Wes was right, and that he is senile."

"Do you _want to die_ , Rose?" Jason hissed, covering her mouth immediately. "Don't say _anything_ about Kanto-sensei, _especially_ not right now!"

"Why, he isn't even here", Chloe pointed out, looking worried.

"If he's using Mega Evolution right now, _he can hear you_ ", Jason whispered harshly, pulling his hand away from Rose. "Don't say anything until I know _for sure_ he isn't even on this island! Please, I am begging you kids, just listen to me, we've already lost Wes, I don't want him to steal you, too!"

Rose blinked, before sighing. "Alright... well, back to training then. If I can get Rockruff to evolve before the sun goes down, she might still turn into... hey!" That is when they all noticed a blue glow surrounded the pup, and suddenly she began to shift and change. No longer was she like a puppy, instead her appearance changed to that of a more wolf like creature, with orange colored fur and shimmering green eyes. A fluffy mane was surrounding her neck, with four jagged rocks sticking out of her neck making an X shape. Highlights of white fur was on her forepaws and legs, and a bushy, white tail stuck out, wagging happily at her evolution.

"She evolved into Lycanroc!" the Rotom-dex exclaimed, snapping a few photos. "But there is no data, zzt! She evolved into a form that is neither midday or midnight!"

Rose blinked, before turning to Jason with a look of confusion on her face.

"What?" he asked, blinking. "You expect me to know? I'm not native to Alola, either, Rose, I have no idea what this form is called." But at the insistent stare, Jason let out a growl. "Fine, whatever! I'll name it! It evolved as the sun sank over the horizon, so she's a Dusk Form Lycanroc! There, happy?!"

"Oh, oh, Dusk Form!" Rotom suddenly chimed, a picture appearing suddenly. "Yes, it was archived but it is there... This strange form is the result of its evolving at dusk. Bathed in the setting sun of evening, Lycanroc has undergone a special kind of evolution. An intense fighting spirit underlies its calmness. It's so rare that some people do not believe this evolution exists."

"Well, no wonder", Juan muttered, looking at the orange wolf. "She evolved just as the sun went down... that is some timing. Think of the chances of that happening."

"Dusk Form Lycanroc..." Rose said, walking over and petting her new Pokemon, who was panting happily and wagging her tail. Rose gave a smile, before suddenly turning to everyone. "I'm going to nickname her!"

"W-what?" Lillie asked, stunned at the sudden declaration. "I-isn't that Wes' thing?"

"Well, yeah", Rose admitted, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "But I'm only going to nickname a few of my Pokemon, and Wes kinda took my opportunity to name a certain _someone_." She glared at Maple, who only gave a cheeky wave to her trainer. "I think I'll name her... Opal! After the gem stone!"

"That's... actually a very good name", Chloe admitted, smiling at her. "Maybe Wes's talent rubbed off on you!"

"That or I am just better at it", Rose chuckled jokingly, causing the students to laugh as they began to admire and pet Opal as well. Jason, meanwhile, was watching this whole scene, a look of irritated confusion on his face.

"... I was _joking_ ", he said softly, before letting out a loud groan. "Y'know what, I've had enough. With Kanto-sensei and Wes giving me a major headache today, I can't do this anymore!" He let out a loud growl. "Everyone! Back to your dorms!"

"Eh?! But the sun is still-"

"NOW!"

XxXxXxX

The midterm was well past the halfway point, and every student was focused intensely on the test. No one was really paying attention to their surroundings, all except for one student, who was already done with her midterm but had not gone to even turn it in yet. Rose's emerald eyes were locked on the chair next to her that Wes would occupy, a worried expression on her face. Maple looked concerned as well, sitting in her trainer's lap and gently trying to comfort her, but as she could not talk there was not much she could do other than gently pat her arm.

"Wes..." Rose muttered, frowning. Suddenly, she stood up, carrying Maple with her and walking to the front of the room at a brisk speed, slamming the test onto Jason's desk.

Jason quirked an eyebrow at her. "Going somewhere?" he asked, though he was certain he knew the answer.

"Pretty sure I got an A", Rose declared, turning to the door. "Now, I am going to do what I should've done yesterday, and find Wes!" She marched towards the door, but before she got to it, the door slammed open, causing her to leap back and give a gasp of shock. Standing there, bruised and black from soot, but alive and wide-eyed, were Wes and Nayru, both weakly holding the two stones that they had received from Kanto-sensei as "gifts".

"Hello all mighty protector", Wes said dizzily, swaying a little.

"W-Wes?" Rose asked, stunned at not only his appearance, but his attitude. "W-what happened to you?"

"I will never disobey you again, oh great one!" Wes bowed suddenly, and uncharacteristically towards his teacher. "May I please go and wash up before huddling in a corner?"

Jason quirked an eyebrow, and decided to test his student very quickly. "Before you go... how was your lesson with Kanto-sensei?"

"First rule of Kanto-sensei's training, do not talk about Kanto-sensei's training!" Wes immediately declared, standing at attention as if a military soldier.

 _Well, at least this makes it easier to do this, then_ , Jason thought with a sigh. "Due to your... conditions... you are dismissed from the midterm. Go wash up and think about what you did."

"Yes oh master, my life is yours!" Wes spoke up, before turning and walking away, Nayru also dizzily walking after him. Rose blinked once, before she dashed after him, her worry only intensifying after seeing the condition he was in.

"The _hell_ happened to him?!" One of the students cried out, eyes wide in fear.

Jason gave a smirk. "First rule. Now, focus on your midterms."

"But professor-"

"What's that? I think I hear a cane made of the strongest wood in the _Kanto_ region in the hall."

Immediately, the students clammed up, turning back to their tests in fear. Jason only smirked, finding a new way to intimidate his students.


	20. A Shocking Trial

**I've really been cranking out this Pokemon stuff, probably because Pokemon Sword and Shield's reveal is literally making me so hyped that I have the map of Galar set as my damn wallpaper on my phone... and no, I am not even kidding about that one.**

 **Per usual, thanks to everyone for the reviews and thanks to TimTheVocalist for being my beta reader and letting me use his characters Jason and Em. My goal is to get this entire story done before November when Pokemon Sword and Shield will launch, so let's see if I can make it!**

 **Enjoy the chapter, guys!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Opal the Lycanroc (Fast Ball, Dusk Form)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Lucario (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

It took Wes a week to recover from the lesson he had with Kanto-sensei, and during that time he was constantly bombarded with questions about his "training" that he had undergone. Of course, each and every time he was asked this, his reply was always the same.

"First rule of Kanto-sensei's training, you do _not_ talk about Kanto-sensei's training."

One by one, the students began to stop asking upon seeing that, no matter what, Wes would not talk about the horrific experience that he had undergone with the insane, old man. This was only made more apparent when Jason began to issue detentions to any student who continued to pester Wes about Kanto-sensei, considering it harassment to bring up the memories within Wes about what had happened the night he spent with the old man. The only one that really did not give up her chase for information was Rose, who despite not going about it in a way that Jason could punish her for, still seemed to be adamant about finding out exactly what Wes had undergone.

"So, did you manage to perform it?" Rose asked one weekend morning as she hung out in her room, watching Wes out of the corner of her eye, who was sitting on her bean bag chair relaxing.

"Perform what?" Wes asked her.

"Ya know... Mega Evolution", Rose replied. She was eyeing Wes' keystone, which the trainer had fashioned into a necklace and was now wearing it around his neck. "Did Nayru manage to Mega Evolve?"

"Oh..." Wes muttered, looking down and thinking. "I... think so? I'm not too sure."

"How can you not be sure if your Pokemon suddenly changed shape temporarily or not?" Rose asked, irritated at the lack of answer.

Wes' eyes grew wide at that, sudden flashes of memories overtaking his mind before he spoke again with a monotone voice. "First rule of Kanto-sensei's training-"

"Yeah, I get it", Rose sighed, giving up on her pestering, especially since she heard footsteps in the hallway, and wanted to make sure Jason didn't have a reason to give her detention. Thankfully, the person that walked in was Lillie, holding a shaking bag.

"Nebby, calm down!" she hissed, but it was in vein as the cosmic looking Pokemon leaped out and let out a loud "Pew", before flying into Wes' lap and snuggling up to him. This snapped the trainer out of his trance, as he reached down and pet the Nebula Pokemon. "I'm sorry, Wes... in the past he's been easier to keep in the bag, but he's been way more feisty since meeting you guys."

"It's quite alright", Wes chuckled, continuing to pet Nebby. "I told you before, we will help take care of him, and that includes letting him out and interacting with him every once in awhile."

"You said Nebby's species name was 'cosmog', correct?" Rose asked Lillie, looking over at her.

"Yes, but I am not too sure on the details about cosmog myself", LIllie sadly stated.

"Do you have any information on cogmog?" Rose asked, looking over at her PokeDex.

"Wish I knew, zzt", the PokeDex replied. "But I am afraid that either that information is inaccessible, or I have none."

Wes perked up at that, remembering something that Jason had said to him. "Hey... Legendary Pokemon..."

"Pardon?" Lillie tilted her head in confusion.

"You don't think that Nebby might be a legendary Pokemon, do you?" Wes suggested, looking at the creature with interest. "Jason did say that information on legendary Pokemon is very hard to access, and champions are not even allowed to divulge that information to others, so perhaps..."

Rose blinked at that, before giggling a bit. "Come on, Wes... no offense, but Nebby isn't exactly what i think a legendary Pokemon would be. He's no Arceus or Mew, that's for sure."

"You only said those two because they're known by everyone", Wes sighed, rolling his eyes. "You might have a point though, there are non-legendary Pokemon that aren't that well know after all, like extent Pokemon."

"A lot of people from other regions don't know about the Pokemon contained in regions that aren't their own, either", Rose pointed out. "Wes, how many Pokemon from Alola could you say that you knew before coming here?"

"Absolutely none!" Wes admitted, looking at Nebby again. "Heck, you didn't know about Feebas until-"

"Yes, I am well aware of that little blunder thank you very much", Rose sighed, blushing a bit at the memory of letting the fish go and getting her first and only detention because of it, as well as pissing Wes off so much that he remained fishing for hours even when it was raining just to recapture the same fish again.

"Well, it doesn't matter that much", Wes sighed, leaning back farther in the bean bag chair. "I didn't know much about the unique Alolan Pokemon, but I am still happy I came here, even if it was at first by force... and no matter what, we will make sure Nebby is safe and happy,"

Lillie nodded, giving a smile to her friends. "I still cannot thank you enough for that... it means so much to me that you two are willing to keep my secret and protect Nebby from those that would do him wrong."

"It's no trouble at all", Wes stated, smiling at her. Noon eventually came onto the weekend day, and several of the students were outside, enjoying the last days at the main branch of the school before they headed towards Ula'ula island for more lessons, and so that Wes and Rose could compete in the two trials on the island. Said two trial goers were currently hanging out outside, where Jason was supervising a battle that was going on between Chloe and Juan, though since the two weren't exactly the best battlers, he looked like he was a mixture of bored, and resisting the urge to just shout random tips at them. Eventually, he raised an eyebrow as his phone began to ring, and when he saw the name on the screen, he answered it immediately.

"Hey", he said, pausing for a moment to listen to the speaker on the other end. "Uh huh... well, that isn't good... well, I could just come over and take care of it, but I have another idea. Those two that are going to compete in the trial are coming with me. It might be unconventional, but perhaps you can make an exception? ...yeah, sounds good to me. See you soon, Sophocles." He hung up the phone after that, turning to Wes and Rose and giving them a nod. "Alright you two, you're taking your electric trial early!"

"Huh?" they both gasped, stunned at the reveal.

"W-what is going on?" Nayru asked, while Maple just blinked in surprise.

"Well, much like Lana and Kiawe, Sophocles has two totem Pokemon that he can alternate between for trials", Jason explained, sighing a bit. "One of them is a Vikavolt, and the other is a Togedemaru... the Vikavolt is a bit temperamental to say the least, he escaped the Hokulani Observatory where he is kept and is currently causing a panic in town, so I was summoned over there to take care of it... of course, since you two need to do your trials anyway, I figured this might be a good way to just get it out of the way."

"Aren't trials supposed to have a puzzle or something related to it though?" Rose asked, tilting her head.

"Normally yes", Jason admitted, shrugging at that remark. "However, consider this puzzle being unprepared. After all, this trial is just being thrown at you without warning... plus, er, I hate to admit it but Sophocles's puzzle is just battling anyway, that or connecting Charjabug to make an electric current. A lot of trial goers admit that his puzzle is lame, and unneeded... I'm sure I don't need to say this, but don't tell him I said that."

"Sure thing", Wes nodded, and unlike when he agreed to not make fun of Kanto-sensei, Jason knew it was being honest. "Well, we shouldn't keep Sophocles waiting too long, especially if that totem Vikavolt is in a town."

"I agree", Rose declared, standing up and putting Maple on her shoulder. "So, let's go to the docks, and-"

"Not the docks", Jason shook his head, causing the trainers to look at him in confusion. "Listen, we need to get their quickly, so let me see your ride pagers." He took both of them, and with a few taps, gave them back to the trainers, who looked at them and saw that an option titled "flying taxi" was added as an option. "Alola has a flying taxi service using several flying ride Pokemon. The most common option is Charizard for this service", this caused Wes to pale as Jason said the fire type's name, remembering his last encounter with a Charizard. "However, there are other options that may come like Pidgeot, Togekiss or heck I even got Dragonite once!" He pressed the button and soon a flying creature flew down to them, and to Jason's surprise it was the orange dragon in question. "...well what do you know. We meet again."

"Where are you guys off to?" Juan asked, walking over with Chloe and Lillie.

"Long story, but a totem Pokemon is running rampant on Ula'ula, so I'm taking Wes and Rose with me so that they can stop it", Jason explained. "I'm going just in case they need my assistance."

"Alright, good luck!" Lillie said, grinning at them.

"You two will do great!" Chloe cheered them on.

Wes and Rose nodded at them, pressing the flying taxi option on their ride pagers as well. Two Pokemon came out of the sky at that, the one facing Wes was a Charizard, which he paled at for a moment before realizing it was a standard sized one with a saddle on his back, while Rose's call was answered by a Pidgeot, who pecked the ground a bit as Rose reached over and pet the large bird. The two trainers got on with their Pokemon and held on tight, as Jason gestured Dragonite into the air and began to soar, with Charizard and Pidgeot flying just behind him.

"I don't think I like this much!" Rose shouted, looking down in fear.

"You afraid of heights?" Wes asked, looking at her concerned.

"That, and I don't know this Pidgeot... if it was my own, then maybe I'd feel a bit better!"

"The flying types are well trained", Jason assured her, looking back and giving her a smile. "Don't worry! They won't let you fall!" It didn't take them long to reach Ula'ula, and the town of Malie City, where a short, young kid was standing and waving at them as they descended from the sky. He was wearing a white shirt with an orange Gameboy on the front, black pants and shoes, and his orange hair was spiked up a bit, his tiny black eyes not visible until the trio landed on the ground.

"You made it!" the boy happily said, grinning at them.

"Sorry we weren't here faster, Sophocles", Jason apologized, nodding at him, with Wes and Rose looking baffled that this kid could be a trial captain. "I had to set these two up with the flying taxi first."

"It's no issue", Sophocles said, nodding at them. "Oh, before we go to confront the Totem Vikavolt, I have to give you this, Rose!" He walked over and handed her a Z Crystal that looked very much like the Rockium Z, except the two points were more pronounced.

"What's this?" Rose asked, looking confused.

"A Lycanium Z!" Sophocles explained, nodding at her. "Olivia left that with me to give to you. She knows you have a Rockruff, and told me that you can use that once she evolves! Certain Pokemon have a Z Crystal unique to them, including Lycanroc. If your Lycanroc knows Stone Edge, then it can use the Z Move Splintered Stormshards!"

"Funny you say that", Rose grinned, pulling out her Fast Ball and sending out Opal, who barked happily. "Opal is all evolved and ready to go! Plus, she did learn Stone Edge once she evolved."

Sophocles blinked at the Dusk Form Lycanroc, before brushing the unique form off and grinning. "Excellent! That Z Move will be great against the Totem Vikavolt! Now, let's go find that electric bug!"

"Right!" Wes nodded, pulling out his Level Ball. "Faye, come out and help us find that Vikavolt!" Wes threw the ball into the air, where the cutiefly appeared and flew out, buzzing in the air. "Let's split up, if you guys find it before we do, give us a shout so we can get that trial win that you promised us!"

"Wait, Wes!" Rose shouted after him as he began to run off. "We should stick together!" However, he continued to run off, prompting Rose to puff her cheeks a bit. "Crazy bampot", she whispered to herself, before taking off after him, shouting his name and telling him to slow down, Opal hot on her heals and Maple holding onto her head. Nayru sighed, before hovering after the group, muttering something under her breath.

Jason blinked at the word that Rose had used last. "Huh... so she _is_ from the Galar region. I should probably ask her about that later, even I know next to nothing about that place."

"We probably should not let them go off on their own", Sophocles explained to Jason. "I agree with Wes on the fact that splitting up will allow us to find it faster, but if they need our help against the Vikavolt then we cannot provide it if we aren't with them."

"Yeah, I agree", Jason nodded, before he and Sophocles raced after the two students.

As Wes ran though the city, he was wildly looking around for the Pokemon in question, despite not knowing what the creature he was searching for even looked like. Finally, he came to a stop, a puzzled expression on his face. Rose caught up to him, panting. "You... really... need... to... listen to me once in awhile!"

"Hey, get your ghost dex thing and make it look up Vikavolt", Wes told her, ignoring the scowl he was receiving from the redhead. "I have no clue what I am even looking for."

"Er... that", Sophocles pointed, having caught up to them with Jason in tow.

"... how many times are we going to be snuck up on by Totem Pokemon?" Rose asked, turning around and sighing. A large, beetle looking Pokemon was flying in the air high above them, though do to the size of the bug electric type. Robotic, yellow eyes were looking down at them, as the mandibles snapped angrily, yellow on the outside and blue on the inside, matching the rest of the body. Large, transparent wings fluttered madly, keeping it afloat, and it's four legs were hanging down, ready to catch the beast if it decided to land on the ground.

"It's my cue!" Rotom chimed in, flying forward. "Vikavolt, the Stag Beetle Pokemon! Vikavolt flusters opponents with acrobatic flying maneuvers. This creates an opening for it to deliver an electric beam attack."

"And with it hovering in the air like that, we cannot use ground type moves on it", Rose muttered, frustrated. "Bad timing since I taught Opal drill run not too long ago, and it would've made this battle much easier... well, time for this then!" She tapped the Lycanium Z into place on her Z-Ring and began posing in the style of the Rock Type moves, while Opal growled and let out a howl. "Alright Opal, use Splintered Stormshards!"

Opal jumped into the air, her eyes glowing red as rocks began flying forth as if from nowhere surrounding the Totem Vikavolt before flying into it as Rose slammed her hands together like jaws connecting with it's pray. As first, it looked like the super powerful move had done what it needed to, but the totem Pokemon flew forth from the large dust cloud that the shards of boulders created, surrounded by yellow energy.

"...ya know, this Super Saiyan buff really makes those Pokemon overpowered", Wes grumbled, shaking his head. "Seriously, that should've done it, it's weak to Rock type moves!"

"Wes, look out!" Rose shouted, as Vikavolt was now flying at Faye, who looked panicked as the beast charged at her.

"Faye, use Moonblast!" Wes ordered, but before the bee Pokemon could launch the pink ball of light, she was slammed into by the Vikavolt as it used Spark on her. "Faye!"

"She's gonna fall!" Rose shouted, as the two trainers ran forward to catch the Bee Fly Pokemon, though there was no need as suddenly she became surrounded by a blue glowing aura, indicating evolution. When the glow ended, the tiny, insect Pokemon flew out with a large smile on her face. She twirled in the air once, showing off her brown scarf looking needle projections around her neck, as well as her large wings. She was still covered in fluffy, yellow hair with a white face, hips, and a tuft of hair on her back.

"Faye has evolved into Ribombee!" Rotom cheered, pulling up her picture on his screen. "Ribombee, the Bee Fly Pokemon. It rolls up pollen into puffs. It makes many different varieties, some used as food and others used in battle. Some of Ribombee's pollen puffs are highly nutritious, and they are sometimes sold as supplements."

"That move Rotom is describing is called Pollen Puff", Jason explained with a slight nod. "Faye probably learned it the second she evolved."

"Alright then", Wes said with a smirk, turning back to the battlefield. "Faye, use Pollen Puff!"

Faye swirled around in the air as a orb of light appeared in her hand, before turning into a wad of purple pollen, before throwing it at Vikavolt, which exploded and sent the electric bug flying back a bit, where he hissed in rage.

"Opal, use Stone Edge!" Rose commanded. Opal nodded once, before racing forward and kicking up a few stone shards which she hurled at the bug type. Vikavolt buzzed angrily, before sparks of lightning surrounded his body, before flying forward and slamming into Opal, who seemed very injured after getting hit by the move.

"That was Charge!" Sophocles shouted from the sidelines, looking worried. "Whenever he does that move, his electric moves become more powerful!"

Opal seemed very injured, however Faye flew up to her and offered her a wad of yellow pollen. Opal smiled, eating the pollen which seemed to immediately heal all of her injuries, and she let out a happy bark at the bug type, who smiled back with a nod.

"Pollen Puff can also be used to heal an ally as well", Jason explained, due to Wes and Rose turning to him with confused expressions on their faces. "...didn't Rotom's dex entry explain that enough for you?"

"Okay, that is seriously awesome!" Wes shouted, looking at Faye with admiration. "I am _so_ glad you were my first catch here in Alola!"

"Wes, not the time!" Rose shouted at him, glaring a bit before turning back to the Vikavolt. "We got a job to do, remember?"

"Right, Faye come back for now!" Wes commanded, which the bug type flew back at his command. He turned to Nayru, and both of them nodded at one another before she stepped forward, glaring up at her opponent.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just watch", Wes smirked, before he grabbed his necklace with the keystone on it, which caused a huge amount of energy to course out of it, crackling in the air. Nayru pulled out her own stone, and held it up high, energy coming out of it as well. The two energies met in the air and became one, and at once Nayru began to transform. The white dress she had as part of her body became more gown like, and black in coloration, as the fin on her chest split and shot into two separate fins. The mask on her face grew and curved a little, framing her face a bit better. The energy dissipated as quickly as it came, revealing Nayru's new form to them all, which caused Rose's jaw to drop at the sight.

"What..." was all the redhead could say, her green eyes wide and locked in Nayru.

"Whoa, you didn't tell me he could perform Mega Evolution!" Sophocles gasped, looking between Jason and Wes in astonishment.

"Until not too long ago, I didn't think he'd ever learn", Jason admitted. "Then again, I guess it's a coincidence we had the same reaction to the guy who taught us how to do it..."

"Whoa... what kind of guy was he?" the portly kid asked, curious.

"First rule of Kanto-sensei's training", Jason immediately recited. "We can't talk about it. I can only warn you... don't mess with Kanto-sensei."

The Vikavolt snarled at his new opponent before charging forward, sparking with energy and getting ready to use his Spark move again. Rose and Jason both watched as Wes stood there, letting the bug type fly closer and closer, neither trainer nor Pokemon making a single move to stop it, both just watching the stag beetle Pokemon flew in for the blow. Eventually, with a wave of his hand, Wes finally issued a command once it seemed like the Vikavolt was about to collide with the embrace Pokemon.

"Hyper Voice!"

Nayru drew a deep breath, before letting out a scream, pink sound waves blasting forward and slamming into the bug type, causing it to cry out in pain, as it was blasted back and slammed into the ground, twitching a bit before lying still, defeated by the powerful attack that Nayru had just performed.

"Whoa..." Rose gasped, as the dust cleared from the battlefield, and Nayru transformed back to normal due to the conclusion of the battle. "You _have_ to teach me how to do that!"

"Uh... ok", Wes shrugged, scratching his cheek at the same time. "Though that really was no big deal."

"No big deal?" Rose repeated, her eyes widened. "You literally ended that in a single move! Though I am confused... I thought Hyper Voice was a normal type move... why did it come out all pink and fairy like?"

"That's due to Gardevoir's Mega Evolution", Jason explained. "Some pokemon change abilities when they Mega Evolve, like how Charizard, when under one of its transformations, gains the ability Drought. Nayru's ability changed to Pixelate, which turns any Normal-type moves she knows into Fairy-type."

"...hax, but awesome!" Rose commented, nodding in conformation. "Okay, now I definitely need to learn that!"

"Well, once your Shelgon evolves you will have the ability to Mega Evolve your Salamence", Jason chuckled, stunned at the normally calm and collected Rose losing her cool at the prospect of Mega Evolving her own Pokemon. "Ironically enough, she will gain a similar ability to Gardevoir, only with normal moves turning into flying type moves. Just... promise me you won't go too crazy about it. Arceus knows Em went ham for a week once she learned how to do it..."

"I promise", Rose nodded, smiling at both Wes and Jason. "I do have two of the best teachers for it after all... though I am confused about one thing... that Rock type move should've really finished off Vikavolt right away due to being super effective. I am surprised it survived to continue battling after that..."

"Well, Totem Pokemon are no joke", Jason explained. "Honestly, I'm glad that I've never seen anything that's pseudo-legendary levels of strong with that aura. I think anything stronger than that would be forced to be taken down by at _least_ two trainers... anything stronger would need at the very least three." He then chuckled a bit. "Just be glad Sophocles made a mistake and taught it Spark instead of Charge Beam... Vikavolt's special attack stat is stronger than any other bug type, including Volcarona."

"Huh, maybe I should do that!" Sophocles commented, grinning as he recalled the Totem Pokemon into a PokeBall.

"Please for the love of Mew don't", both Rose and Wes sighed in exhaustion, already tired from what they had to go through.

"Well, either way I did promise Jason that this could be your trial, so here!" he handed both of the trainers a glowing, yellow crystal similar to the ones that they already had collected. "It's the Electrium Z, and it allows your Pokemon to upgrade their electric type moves into Gigavolt Havoc! Which I dunno if Wes could use it..."

"Not at all, no electric type moves", Wes sighed, shrugging.

"Though you could use it with that Pikachu of yours", the electric type master grinned, looking at Maple who was still riding her trainer's shoulder. "Though I am stunned that she is still a Pikachu."

"I haven't really talked to Maple about evolution, though", Rose commented, pulling out the Thunder Stone she received from Aether Foundation. "I do have the option... either way, I am exhausted..."

"Well, I can show you to where the school is here", Jason shrugged, chuckling a bit. "Since you two are already here, might as well keep you two here since everyone else is coming tomorrow, right?"

"Thank you!" Wes and Rose both sighed, prompting a laugh from the student teacher.


	21. It's Your Boy!

**Believe it or not this chapter was kinda hard to write, not really sure why I just wasn't really sure how I wanted the evolution scene between Rose and Maple to go, but once I got that figured out and wrote it the rest of the chapter came pretty easy. I also really like how it turned out!**

 **Once again, thanks to Tim the Vocalist for being my beta reader, and thanks to pokemonking0924 for the review! Additionally, I want to thank everyone that has read, favorited or got alerts enabled for this story as well!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Ribombee (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Opal the Lycanroc (Fast Ball, Dusk Form)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Lucario (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

Silver light emitted into Rose's room as she sat on her dresser in a white pajama shirt with blue, long pajama pants, staring out the window at the full moon that was hanging in the sky, shining down upon them and making the night seem not so dark. Maple was at her feet, staring up at her trainer with an expression of interest and confusion. In Rose's right hand, she was twirling around the Thunderstone that she had received from the Aether Foundation, and occasionally she would stop twirling it to grip it for a moment before going back to playing with the stone. Finally, she held it up to the moon, and the stone seemed to admit a glow as it came between her eyes and the orb that hung in the sky.

"Pokemon Evolution", Rose muttered to herself, her eyes shinning at the reflection the stone cast upon them. "A process in which a Pokemon changes into a different species of Pokemon. This change is not merely visual, as Pokemon of a higher evolutionary stage are usually more powerful than their predecessors, may have different moves that can be learned, and sometimes change their types... Even the Pokemon's ability can change when this happens… I can say the definition all I want, but it doesn't change the fact that it's not so simple, especially for the Pokemon that evolves."

Rose turned back to look at Maple, who now seemed to understand the dilemma she was facing. Her tail twitched a bit as she stepped forward, looking directly into her trainer's green eyes with her own blue ones. Rose stared back for a few moments before holding the stone up again, sighing. "Most Pokemon do not evolve through human interaction, and I thought that providing that evolution to my Pokemon would be simpler then this… When I helped Wes evolve Sakura, it was different feeling then this… she was his Pokemon, and he wanted to evolve her, thus I provided the trigger for the evolution. Now, on the other hand, it's my own Pokemon that can evolve through a trigger, but… does _she_ want to?"

Maple looked at the stone for a moment, thinking hard to herself for a few moments before stepping forward again, and giving a nod, staring directly at the Thunderstone with determination.

Rose blinked in surprise, having heard rumors that several Pikachu, including even the one owned by the legendary Pokemon Trainer Red, hated the idea of evolving into Raichu, though it might have been different in this case since Maple was an Alolan Pikachu, and would evolve into the Electric Psychic type Alolan Raichu. Rose gave a smile before gently lowering the Thunderstone and placing it on Maple's head, who did not flinch as the stone made contact with her forehead. At once, the stone vanished, being absorbed into Maple's body.

And if anyone was to be outside at that moment, the silver glow of the moon would not be the only glow that they saw that night.

XxXxXxX

"This is where Rose said she wanted to meet up to learn Mega Evolution", Wes sighed, setting his backpack down and stretching a bit. He did not need to walk far from Malie City to reach the Malie Garden, though he frowned a bit as he noticed that Rose was not there yet, and scratched his head in confused. "That's odd… thought she would be the first one here."

"Perhaps she is just running a little late", Jason yawned, setting his own backpack down next to Wes' at the tree. "Give her a bit of time."

"She's the one who was all happy to learn about Mega Evolution, so I just thought she would be rushing over here is all", Wes muttered, giving Jason a look that practically said "and why are you here anyway?" A few moments passed before Rose came into view, waving at them and being followed by a very wobbly Pokemon. Wes and Jason both had to do a double take to see that following behind Rose was an Alolan Raichu, attempting and somehow failing to ride her tail like a surf board, which was rounded unlike the traditional Kanto Raichu which had a jagged, lightning bolt tail. Wes also noticed that the Alolan Raichu had a lighter orange coloring then the Kanto counterpart, along with rounded ears and white stripes on the back.

"Sorry we look so long", Rose breathed out in exhaustion, putting her bag down next to Wes and Jason's own. "I evolved Maple yesterday as you can see, and I don't think she's quite figured out her new Psychic powers."

"I can see that", Wes muttered, watching as Maple fell off her tail, though was still in the air hanging upside down as the tail end remained where it was when she fell off it. "Nayru, do you mind?"

"Yeah, I can assist her while you two practice", Nayru smiled, stepping forward and pulling Maple back onto her tail, holding her tightly as she regained her balance and walking off with her.

"Hope they'll be ok", Rose whispered, looking after the two with worry.

"Eh, they'll be fine", Jason stated, turning to the two of them. "Alright, so you two might be wondering why I am here, and that is simple… Wes, how did you plan on teaching Rose Mega Evolution without providing her a key stone and a mega stone?" Wes blinked at that before letting out an "er", scratching his cheek in embarrassment. Jason gave a huff, unable to keep himself from giving a small smile as he realized that his student still hasn't changed. "Thought so… thankfully for you two, I took the liberty of obtaining these." Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a keystone identical to Wes' own, as well as a grey stone with a red and blue curved diamond shaped design.

"Wow, what is this stone called?" Rose asked, holding the grey stone up in wonder.

"That is a Salamencite", Jason explained. "Yours to keep! Figured that since you got a Shelgon and all you might as well get that one as well."

"This… didn't cost you a lot, did it?" Wes asked, still a bit embarrassed that he had completely forgotten about the keystone and the mega stone.

"Don't worry about price", Jason waved his hand in dismissal. "I have connections that assisted in making sure I got them… however, since you still have a Shelgon and not a Salamence yet, you're going to need a different Pokemon to practice on, and thankfully, you already got one."

"I do?" Rose questioned, tilting her head in confusion for a moment before suddenly realizing. "Oh, Lucario!"

"Bingo", Jason smirked, pulling out a second mega stone, this one was orange in color, and while it had a blue and red curved diamond like the first mega stone did, the colors on this one were inverted. "The Lucarionite… however, I am only lending this one to you. I am going to need it back once you are done practicing. I got that in Kalos from a good friend of mine named Korrina, and she'd kill me if something happened to it."

"No worries, I'll be careful with it", Rose nodded, pulling out her Ultra Ball and sending out her Lucario, who looked at the stone in confusion as Rose handed it to him. "This is Jason's, so be careful with it, ok? I need to practice Mega Evolution and you are the going to help me."

Lucario nodded, though he seemed to look a bit uneasy still. As Jason assisted Rose in fastening the mega stone to Lucario, Wes pulled out his Premier Ball and sent out Inigo, who gave a big yawn as he rejoiced in freedom. "Hey Inigo, we're going to do some training with Rose. She's practicing Mega Evolution, so don't get discouraged if your opponent suddenly gets stronger, ok?"

Inigo nodded, before stepping forward and facing off against Lucario, who now had the mega stone fastened to his waist by a belt like object. One smirk from the both of them caused Jason to chuckle, remembering that they hatched on the same day, and were likely thinking of one another as rivals due to that. "I get the feeling this isn't ordinary training to those two…"

"Inigo, Flame Charge!" Wes commanded.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Rose called out. The two Pokemon charged at each other at once, with Lucario forming a ball of light blue energy and firing it at Inigo, who was surrounded by flames as he rushed forward, slamming into the ball of energy. At first, it looked like he wouldn't emerge from the smoke, but he shot out of the dust and dirt still covered in flames, slamming into Lucario.

"Use Peck!"

"Lucario, Force Palm!" Lucario slammed his palm into Inigo's stomach just as he was pecking the canine Pokemon, sending him flying into the air, before he was surrounded by his signature speed boosting green glow. Rose gasped at that, before looking down at the keystone and smirking. "Ok… Lucario, Mega Evolve!" Surges of energy shot from the keystone, startling Rose for a second, as energy shot forth from the Lucarioite as well. The two energies collided in midair, but as quickly as they came they vanished, leaving both trainer and Pokemon looking confused. "Huh?"

"Time!" Jason called out, stepping forward and waving his hands to signal a time out. "That wasn't a bad first attempt… heck, you at least produced the mega evolution energy. Not even I did that on my first try."

"Or me", Wes pointed out, nodding at Jason's words. "I don't think I did it until my third try, and even then Nayru didn't Mega Evolve."

"This is harder then I thought it would be", Rose sighed, looking down at the key stone for a moment before looking at Wes. "Any tips?"

Jason, knowing that it was technically Wes' lesson, remained silent as he watched his student scratch his cheek again in deep thought before speaking. "Well… Mega Evolution requires three things, two of which you already have. It's the third element that is the most important though, and despite everything Nayru and I went through before we attempted to achieve Mega Evolution, we still struggled. You and Lucario need to become more synchronized, that's all."

Rose nodded, standing up straighter and looking over at Wes as Jason stepped backwards to give them room. "Alright, then let's try again! Lucario, Bone Rush!"

Lucario held out his hand and what looked like a glowing, green bone appeared in his palm, before he gripped it tightly and rushed forward, before twirling the bone like a staff and hitting Inigo twice, who hissed and retaliated automatically with a Double Kick, sending Lucario into the air. The canine Pokemon growled, as the bone disappeared from his hand and suddenly, he clenched his fist, a swirl of blue power coming from his hand, though unlike Aura Sphere it was contracted into his fist. As he charged forward, what looked like a trail of stardust shooting from his fist as it made contact, sending Inigo flying back in pain.

"W-what was that?" Rose asked, baffled at the move.

"That… was Meteor Mash!" Jason gasped, looking shocked as well. "It makes sense since Riolu can only have that move if a female Lucario is being bred with a Smergle who knows the same move, but I never thought Rose's would be one of those."

"Meteor Mash…" Rose whispered to herself, before looking up at Lucario determined. "Ok, Meteor Mash!" Lucario charged and once again punched at Inigo, who this time blocked the move and leapt out of the way, however the discovery of Lucario's new move caused Rose to feel like she understood her Pokemon a little better, as she held up the key stone again. "Ok! Let's do this, Mega Evolve!" This time, the energy that came from both stones remained connected for longer and even surrounded Lucario, but like before soon it dispelled, leaving a normal Lucario standing there, this time huffing a little due to the energy entering his body.

"Almost", Wes commented, looking shocked that Rose was grasping this so quickly. "That time was definitely closer then the first attempt… heck, I think you actually morphed him for a second there…"

"Almost isn't there, though…" Rose sighed, looking down at the key stone before looking back up as Wes. "Come on, there has to be at least one more hint you can give me!"

Wes thought again, before looking at Lucario, then to Rose. "You never nicknamed him… It makes the Pokemon feel more special to you, at least that's what I think anyway. I tend to find that trainers that nickname their Pokemon form a deeper bond with them, so maybe that is worth a try… to both Lucario and Shelgon?"

Unlike the last time Wes suggested nicknaming her Pokemon, Rose actually blinked a bit and gave it some thought. She felt closer to Maple then most of her other Pokemon, even her Shelgon, despite Wes nicknaming her himself. Additionally, she did nickname Opal and certainly felt like her connection to the rock type had deepened afterwards. She looked at Lucario, who was looking at her in anticipation. "Hmm… how about Reiki?"

"Reiki?" Wes asked.

"It sounds cool", Rose commented. "It's a technique to promote healing, often called palm healing or hands-on healing. I think it fits, don't you, even if he isn't much of a healer, though I guess I'm called Rose and there's not a lot you can compare on me to the flower of the same name."

 _Are you kidding, like a rose you are beautiful but can be a pain due to the thorns_ , Wes thought, blushing a little at the thought that Rose was beautiful, but he shook the thought off and smiled at her. "I like it, and I think he does too! Alright, why don't we give it another try?"

"Sound good to me! Ok, Reiki?" the newly dubbed Reiki nodded, facing his opponent again, this time radiating more confidence then last time. Rose smirked, before holding out her hand and giving her command. "Reiki, Meteor Mash!"

"Inigo, Flame Charge!"

The two pokemon smirked, charging at one another and initiating their attacks, with Reiki slamming his fist into Inigo's forehead just as the flaming chicken met him in the middle of the arena. The two struggled there, neither one wanting to give into the other's attack. Rose saw her moment and took it, holding the keystone high and shouting out to Reiki, who was surrounded by the energy, only this time the glow remained longer, and he seemed to morph under the glow. Suddenly, Inigo's eyes went wide, as he found himself being pushed back by the glowing canine pokemon, before he was sent flying back, injured. Reiki, however lost the glow and returned to normal, huffing and puffing deeply.

"That… was actually Mega Lucario", Jason commented, stepping forward again. "It wasn't a complete mega evolution, but he achieved the form, even if just for a moment. I think that's enough practice for now, but you made so much progress in just a short amount of time."

"Yeah, you were amazing Rose", Wes commented, stepping forward. "Reiki was too!" Inigo suddenly clicked his beak, and Wes had to laugh before petting the Fowl Pokemon. "Of course, you were great as well, Inigo!"

Jason walked up to Reiki and received his mega stone, as well as the strap used to keep it on him. "Alright, why don't you two explore the park? Classes start back up again tomorrow, so use this time to rest and relax, especially after that midterm… which you did very well on Rose, so don't give me that look." Jason added to the paling of Rose's face, before he shook his head and walked off.

"Top student is nervous about her midterm score?" Wes asked, baffled that she seemed so nervous.

"Give me a break", Rose shot at him, glaring a little. "You didn't have to take it, Mr. I had to insult a very powerful trainer."

"C-Cut me some slack, ok?" the teenager replied as he paled, the laughter of the insane old man echoing in his ears. "How was I supposed to know… hey, isn't that Professor Kukui?"

At first, Rose thought that Wes was just trying to distract her from talking about the midterm and Kanto-sensei, but sure enough she looked over to where he was pointing, and the Professor in question was clearly visible from where they were standing, only he was not alone. Two Team Skull members were standing in front of them, clearly looking pissed off. Wes and Rose looked at one another, before taking off into a full sprint towards the Professor, Inigo and Reiki following after them as well.

"Hold up, yo!" the first Skull grunt was saying to the Professor as they came into ear shot.

"You say you want to make a Pokemon League?" the second grunt said, angry. "You got rocks in your skull?"

"Make a Pokemon League?" Wes asked, confused, but Rose only shrugged in response, not knowing what they were talking about.

"Four turns!" Kukui said, holding out his hand with all fingers except for his thumb extended.

"Huh?" the Skull grunts asked, confused.

"Bring it on, the both of you!" Kukui grinned, his hands on his hips. "I've been researching Pokemon moves, yeah, so I'm always ready, oh yeah! I'll take you both on in a Battle Royal, and you'll be down with just a Swift and Incinerate or two! You gotta beat the man to be the man, boys!"

"…Kukui is the Masked Royal", Wes muttered to Rose with a deadpan expression, recalling the same attitude coming from the same man they faced in a Battle Royal those many days ago.

"I had a feeling he was familiar when we fought him, but now it's like I was slapped in the face with the 'no duh' stick", Rose replied.

"F-fine, you asked for it!" the second grunt replied to Kukui's declaration, though he was suddenly not as confident as before, practically sensing that Kukui would destroy him if he tried to fight against him.

"Battle Royal, huh?" a new voice suddenly said. "Nice idea there, Kukui. You can beat down three Pokemon at once, huh?" Wes blinked and looked towards the bridge to see a man standing on it. Jagged, white hair adored the top of his head, unkept in appearance, with yellow sunglasses separating it from his forehead. He wore a golden chain necklace, with a golden S medallion resting on his chest. A black, hooded short sleeved hoodie with a white S on the back of it blew in the wind, ruffing his white undershirt and his baggy, black pants. He stepped forward, his worn out white sneakers looking like they could break at any moment with each step he took, before he was right up in Kukui's face.

"Guzma", Kukui greeted him, his confidence still radiating off him.

"The boss has graced us with his presence!" the first grunt cheered, looking relieved.

"The hated boss who beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up… Yeah! Big bad Guzma is here!" Guzma taunted, before crossing his arms and laughing. "Greetings, cowering public! We have an exciting bout for you today! In the opposing corner, the Pokemon Professor Kukui! And in this corner, the boss of Team Skull and the hardest guy around, Guzma!"

Wes and Rose looked at one another for a moment, and while they were confident that Kukui could probably take Guzma on, they still nodded at one another and stepped forward, standing just off to the side. No one seemed to notice them at the moment, as the folks who gathered were focused on the conflict between Guzma and Kukui, and the two grunts of Team Skull were watching in awe as their boss stared down Kukui.

"Here we are, Kukui", Guzma snarled a little. "Fellow rejects who never could become captains. We've got all these moldy old traditions in Alola – the kahunas, the captains… it's about time we cut out all that silly garbage and make something new for ourselves. Trust me, I get that. Don't get me wrong, though, Kukui. We've got no need for a Pokemon League. After all, everyone already knows who the strongest trainer is on these islands!"

"Speak for yourself, Guzma", Kukui replied, still smirking in confidence. "It's not like I couldn't become a captain. I chose not to, because I had other dreams. I wanted to figure out which moves would be strong enough to beat old Hala…" Kukui turned and took a few steps back as he spoke. "…and I finally found what I was looking for. The strongest moves you can use are the ones a Trainer and their Pokemon choose together, in the heat of the moment, when it really counts." Kukui sharply turned to face Guzma again at that. "That's when I knew I had to make a Pokemon League, yeah? To give everybody a chance to be pushed to the limit with their team and find that perfect move! Let's see it, Guzma! Show me your moves and prove you aren't just all talk! If you really can, that is…" He turned to face Wes and Rose at that moment. "Don't you two agree?"

"Uh… yeah!" Wes commented, grinning a bit sheepishly.

Guzma turned to glare at Wes, stepping forward. "So, you're two of the kids on the island challenge… hmm, you two don't look like you're from around here."

"This is Wes, and Rose", Kukui explained, gesturing to each of them in turn. "Wes came here just recently from Hoenn, and Rose has been here for a few years now. Discovery, new experiences, adventure! They're loving every minute of it!"

"As well as boring lectures and tests, but hey I take what I can get", Wes snickered, before being elbowed by Rose.

"If you think you're the strongest trainer on these islands, Guzma, why don't you battle one of them?" Kukui suddenly said, shocking all in the vicinity.

"W-what!?" Rose gasped, looking scared.

Wes looked from Kukui to Guzma, before finally he smirked and stepped forward. "Alright, sure, why not?"

"Wes, what are you doing!?" Rose shouted, staring at him in shock. "That's the boss of Team Skull himself! You can't take him on as you are right now!" Either Wes didn't seem to hear her, or he didn't seem to care. Wes and Guzma had locked eyes at that moment, and it seemed set in stone that they would indeed battle on another.

"Tch! This move fanatic is getting me all riled up!" Guzma declared, frowning a little as he stared at Wes, his eyes trailing until they landed on his Z-Ring. "Why even bother with the island challenge? What's the point of it?"

Wes looked at the Z-Ring for a moment, before looking back at Guzma and sighing. "To be honest… I thought the same thing at first. I couldn't care less if I either took the Island Challenge or got kicked out for stealing my amulet and be sent back to Hoenn where I could participate in their Pokemon League." The fact that Wes had stolen his amulet seemed to shock Guzma, who looked back at Wes with wide eyes. "But I realized that this challenge, it's going to make me stronger then I could've been before! So, don't you dare insult those that take the Island Challenge, or dream of becoming a Pokemon Master at a Pokemon League… just because you aren't strong enough to do it yourself!"

"Wes", Rose muttered in shock, as Kukui smiled down at Wes with pride.

Guzma snarled at that, pulling out a Ultra Ball. "You just said the wrong thing, kid… watch closely, Kukui. Someday I'm going to destroy you, but first, I'll destroy everything you care about! Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form – it's your boy, Guzma! Go, Golisopod!" Out of the ball appeared a Pokemon that Wes knew very well, as Jason also had one himself.

"Go, Sakura!" Wes called, throwing the Lure Ball and sending out his water type, who cooed and stared down his opponent.

"You're going to regret ever mouthing off to me, kid!" Guzma declared. "First Impression!"

Before Wes could even issue a command, Golisopod charged and slammed into Sakura, and to the surprise of them all she seemed very injured by the attack, practically shaking as she tried to regain her senses from being knocked so hard she began to see stars.

"W-what was that move?" Wes asked, stunned by the power.

"Rotom?" Rose asked, pulling the device out of her purse.

"First Impression is a move that is unique to Golisopod", Rotom yawned, having been awoken from his nap. "It is a priority move, so it's super fast even if the Pokemon doesn't have great natural speed. Additionally, it's very powerful, but can only be used in the first few moments that a Pokemon is in battle… however…"

"Sakura, Ice Beam!" Wes commanded. Sakura inhaled and sent out a bolt of light blue energy, which struck the bug water type and sent it skidding back. At first, it looked like the attack wasn't that successful, but suddenly a beam of red light shot from the ball that was now on Guzma's belt, recalling Golisopod into it.

"Uh, you need to declare you are switching, you know?" Wes asked.

"Not if it's related to the ability of my Pokemon!" Guzma declared.

"Pardon?"

"Emergency Exit", Rotom explained, flying forward towards Wes' side. "When Golisopd's health is reduced in a battle, it can retreat into it's PokeBall one time… and since he did that, it means…"

"That the next time he sends it out, it can use First Impression again", Wes growled, facing down Guzma. "At first, I thought you were just some punk leader of a bunch of other punks, but you aren't actually that bad."

"It's just getting started, kid", Guzma stated, pulling out another Ultra Ball. "Go, Masquerain!" Out of the ball emerged a light blue Pokémon with two pairs of rhombus-shaped wings on each side of its body, a tear dropped shaped head with two small black eyes, and two smaller wings on the lower side of it's body.

Wes blinked at that, before tilting his head. "Those were all over Hoenn… and are bug flying… alright then, Sakura Ice Beam!" Sakura breathed in again and sent out the Ice Beam, and the super effective move did a lot of damage to the bug type, however it still was flying in the air afterwards.

"Masquerain, use Air Slash!" Guzma commanded. The bug type flew into the air and send out a few jets of air which slammed into Sakura, who shook off the attack like it was nothing.

"Ice Beam again!" Wes commanded, and this time the attack did a lot more damage to Masquerain, who fell to the ground fainted. Guzma recalled his Pokemon, but the smirk on his face reminded Wes of what was to come, and he knew that Guzma had not only expected Wes to knock out his second Pokemon, he had counted on it.

"First Impression!" Guzma commanded, sending out his Golisopod again. The gaint bug wasted no time, and slammed into Sakura, sending her flying back into a tree and knocking her out cold.

"Sakura, return!" Wes called out, recalling her into the Lure Ball.

"You see, kid?" Guzma taunted, laughing. "You can't beat me!"

"Your Golisopod is weakened, and I still have Pokemon left!" Wes shouted back, but as he stared down Golisopod he racked his brain on who he could use. Nayru was off with Maple, so she was out… and he did not want to chance using Zero at the moment. That left him with Inigo, Blake and Faye. Faye and Bake did not seem powerful enough to take on Golisopod, but at the same time Inigo would take heavy damage from Golisopod's water type moves. Sighing, he turned to Inigo, who was standing off to the side with Rose and Reiki. "Can I count on you?"

Inigo clicked his beak and stepped forward, looking at Golisopod with confidence. Guzma blinked once at this, before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "You gotta be kidding me? You're choosing a fire type to face off against my Golisopod? You're dumber then I thought you were, kid!"

"We'll just have to see how it goes, don't we?" Wes shouted, glaring at the large man.

"I'll make this quick!" Guzma snarled, snapping his fingers. "Use Razor Shell!"

"Protect!" Wes commanded. Golisopod charged forward, his hand surrounded by water as he slammed his palm into the green barrier that Inigo had called forward, shielding him entirely from the attack before he too was surrounded by the green glow, signaling that he had achieved speed boost.

"W-what was that?" Guzma gasped, looking shocked.

"Use Flame Charge!" Wes commanded. Inigo shot forward and slammed into Golisopod with his body surrounded by fire, covering the bug type in flames. Despite the water typing, his bug typing made him vulnerable to the fire, and the creature hissed in pain.

"Use Sucker Punch!" Guzma shouted, seeming to realize that Inigo was too fast now to hit with a non-priority move. Golisopod's fist was surrounded by darkness as he punched Inigo right in the stomach, and despite the move doing heavy damage, the fire type was able to stand back up and face his opponent down.

"Inigo, use Peck!" Wes shouted, and the fighting chicken obeyed instantly, charging forward so fast that Guzma almost missed it, and pecking Golisopod with his sharp beak. For a moment, nothing else happened, before Golisopod suddenly fell backwards, unable to battle anymore.

Guzma stared down at the scene in shock, before recalling Golisopod into his ball. He suddenly threw up his hands, shaking his body wildly. "Guzma, what is wrong with you!? Now's the time for your vaunted team to let loose and destroy everything!" Guzma panted, glaring at Wes. "Wes, is it? I'll remember this, kid… you just made a dangerous enemy today! Next time, I'll beat you down!"

"Next time, you're facing me instead, Guzma!" Jason's voice suddenly said, as the Kalos Champion stepped forward, glaring at the leader of Team Skull. Guzma snarled back at him, stepping forward and glaring at Jason in the same way that he was glaring at Kukui just moments before Wes battled him. The two grunts ran forward, nervously gathering behind their boss and hoping that nothing more would happen.

"Move", Guzma snarled. Jason huffed in his face, before moving out of the way and letting Guzma stop past him, his grunts following afterwards and shaking as they saw the glare that Jason was giving them.

"Wes… that was…" Rose commented, stepping forward and looking at Wes in awe.

"Stupid… that was stupid!" Jason snarled, rounding on them all, and pointing his finger directly at Kukui. "You! What were you thinking letting him battle Guzma? He could've been seriously hurt!"

Kukui smiled and shook his head. "Jason, even you cannot deny how strong Wes has become, can you? I knew that letting him battle Guzma was the right move… defeated by a teenager who is participating in the Island Challenge… that'll really give him something to think about."

"Wait, what did we miss!?" Nayru said, hovering over with Maple in tow, who was perfectly in control of her newfound powers. "You did what, master!?"

"Er, battled the leader of Team Skull… sorry you weren't there."

Nayru huffed and crossed her arms. "Way to not invite me to the party…"

Maple giggled a bit and flew over to Rose, who began to pet her. Jason, meanwhile, had not seemed to calm down despite the explanation, and only crossed his arms before looking over at Wes. "Next time, do NOT get involved with Team Skull… you let me know instantly and I will face them, understood?"

"Uh, okay?" Wes asked confused, not really sure why Jason was so hellbent on facing Guzma all of the sudden.

"Either way, Wes defeated him, and all's well that ends well", Kukui chucked. "Now, let's get back to the school and enjoy the rest of the time we have off before lessons begin once again."


	22. The Abandoned Thrifty Megamart

**This was my favorite of the trials in Sun and Moon, and I like the inclusions they did in the Ultra games as well. I found this trial to be just the right amount of spoopy without actually diving into a horror game like feeling, though I will admit that the appearance of the totem Pokemon made me jump a bit the first time I played the game.**

 **Thank you to Pikminbosyk and pokemonking0924 for your reviews on Chapter 21, and thanks to Tim the Vocalist for beta-reading as usual!**

* * *

 **Wes:**

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Ribombee (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)

Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:**

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Opal the Lycanroc (Fast Ball, Dusk Form)

Maple the Raichu (Love Ball, Alolan Form)

Reiki the Lucario (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

The results of the midterms provided a much needed relief for many of the students of the Pokemon school, and sure enough Rose passed with not only an A, but had answered every question correctly on the test, including the bonus question involving Mega Evolution that Jason had decided to slip in just to make sure the students were paying attention during Kanto-sensei's lesson. She beamed with pride as she looked at her results, with Maple floating directly behind her.

"Wow, I'm impressed… I thought with you so focused on Wes, you would've been distracted enough to at least miss one question", Maple suddenly spoke, catching a few students off guard.

Rose sighed at that. Along with teaching her how to better control her powers, Nayru had also taught Maple her little telepathic speaking trick, and shortly afterwards Maple had learned how to not only communicate telepathically, but also identical to a human, and while it was a nice to have a Pokemon that she could understand and translate for her just like Wes did, Maple did have an annoying habit of saying a bit too much information. "Nayru, I ask again… why?"

"Because I thought it would be both a nice gift, and funny", the embrace Pokemon replied, grinning to herself. "And oh boy was I right!"

"Alright, let's all focus", Jason said, giving Wes his little slip of paper that explained he was excused from the midterm and got an automatic 100 percent for it, which Wes grinned at as Jason walked back to the front of the room. "Your weekend homework is to research the effects of different held items on Pokemon and compile a three-page essay on why it is important to choose the proper held item for battle, due Monday morning!" Several groans emitted from the students at this as they stumbled out of the classroom, and a sigh emitted from Jason as he began to gather his things up. To his surprise, however, Wes walked up to him, a look of confusion on his face.

"Hey, I never got to ask you… those Team Skull grunts at the park were talking about Kukui making a Pokemon League…"

Jason sighed, both at the memory of the time Wes battled against the leader of Team Skull and the fact that the secret was now out there, and he almost wanted to say nothing on the manner, but Rose too was looking at him interested so he caved. "Alright… it was supposed to be a surprise for you two once your final trial was done, but since the Meowth is out of the bag I might as well tell you. Kukui has been toying with the idea of creating a Pokemon League just like the other regions, he got the idea when visiting Kanto a number of years ago and partaking in their Pokemon League. Of course, the idea was never fully implemented until now."

"I did think it was strange that I was given a PokeDex but I guess it make sense now", Rose muttered, thinking out loud.

"Huh?" Wes asked, looking at her confused. "What does your PokeDex have to do with this?"

"You have a PokeDex yourself, you cannot tell me that you aren't aware", Jason bluntly pointed out, but Wes' baffled looked remained so he sighed. "The PokeDex isn't just given to any trainer, you know. You wouldn't find some random Pre-Schooler with one after all. It's only given to certain special trainers, and while some regions handle it a bit differently then others, most of the trainers with a PokeDex have either one of two goals… the first is catching as many Pokemon as possible, and the second is the one that most trainers with a PokeDex have; participating in the Pokemon League."

"Well, that explains why I got mine when I signed up for the Hoenn League", Wes mumbled, taking out the black device before stuffing it back in his pocket.

"We gave Rose hers because of that reason as well", Jason commented. "We figured that once you two completed all your trials, then you would be wanting to participate once we informed you of the Pokemon League's creation."

"Speaking of, when are we doing our next trial?" Wes asked, suddenly grinning at the thought of completing another trial.

"You're kidding me", Rose groaned. "We did one like two weeks ago, and we're going to be here for at least another month! Why the rush to complete the second trial already?"

"Hey, I feel like we're ready now!" Wes replied, grinning and crossing his arms.

"You're just being overconfident, master", Nayru replied, shaking her head.

"Or just trying to impress Rose", Maple suggested, earning the psychic mouse a glare from her trainer.

Jason picked up his bag and laughed a bit, turning to look at them. "Funny… she actually asked me this afternoon if you two would like to participate in your trial tonight."

Wes smiled largely at that, but Rose looked nervously at him before turning back to Jason. "Why does she want the trial to be at night? Wouldn't it be better to do it during the day?"

"Nah, she would rather it be at night to set the tone or whatever", Jason shrugged. "Either way, I can message her right now letting her know that you two would like to take it tonight, if you both agree to it that is… from the looks of it I can see one of you has already agreed to it, but if you both don't agree I can't really just have it be one of you that goes. After all, you two are partners."

Wes frowned at that, looking at Rose with almost a begging stare. Rose looked back at him for a few moments before loudly sighing in defeat. "Fine, fine… We can do the trial tonight. Lord knows I'd rather watch something on Netflix though and relax… my brain has already been on overdrive enough lately."

"Hey, you get your perfect midterm grade and complete a trial", Wes shrugged, shaking his head. "I think that's the perfect day honestly!"

"Says the guy who only got a 100 percent on it because of underestimating one of the most powerful trainers in the world and being too broken to do the midterm", Rose shot back, grinning before turning to Jason, ignoring Wes' paled face. "So, where are we meeting to do this?"

"The Thrifty Megamart Abandoned Site", Jason explained, pointing out the window. "If you take Route 14, it curves into a U shape, and there you'll find the site. You cannot miss it if you follow the signs."

Rose looked confused at that, looking out the window for a moment before shrugging. "Ok… I dunno why we are meeting there, but sure?"

The four hours they had to wait until the sun started going down was agony for Wes, who by the time Rose finally said they were going to head off was pacing his room and almost making scuff marks in the wooden flooring with how much he was moving. Rose almost thought that she would have to restrain Wes from running too far ahead of her as they walked, but surprisingly she and him kept a similar pace all the way towards the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart, which one look told Rose that it was left to rot so hard that it was practically almost ready to collapse into a pile of nothing but rotted wood. Nervously, she approached Jason and the short, purple haired girl wearing a black dress and had to ask. "Er… we aren't doing our trial IN the shop, are we?"

"Yup!" the girl replied to her dismay. "My name is Acerola, and I'm the Trial Captain for your second trial here on Ula'ula Island! This old building is full of lots of Ghost-type Pokemon!"

"G-ghosts!?" Rose gasped, paling and looking nervously at Acerola.

"You two need to find the Totem Pokemon of this site and snap a shot of it!" Acerola explained, giggling. "The totem is a bit of a trickster, and it likes to play hide-and seek and mess around. If you take pictures of the other Ghost-type Pokemon inside, it'll definitely come out to get in on the fun and have its photo taken too! So, if you see something weird happening inside this old place, try and check it out! I bet you'll find a Ghost-type Pokemon causing the mischief, so get its photo before it's gone!"

"G-g-ghosts!?" Rose commented again, this time catching the attention of everyone there.

"You alright, Rose?" Jason asked, thinking he knew the answer already.

"I-I'm fine!" the redhead replied unconvincingly. "I-I just… don't do w-well with g-g-ghosts!"

Wes raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? But you were fine when we battled that Totem Marowak, and you don't seem to have a problem with Jason's Decidueye…"

"There are exceptions to every fear", Jason commented, crossing his arms. "I know a girl who is afraid of bug types, but likes Butterfree for their beauty… well, I didn't count on this… I would like to say that there is another option, or that Wes alone could take the trial, but my hands are tied here… unless Rose completes the trial, she cannot move on."

Wes didn't look too pleased with that, but he remained silent for a moment as he looked at the shaking redhead before he suddenly grinned. "What's the big deal? Did you abandon a doll that turned into a Banette or something?"

"Her fear is nothing to laugh at, Wes", Jason commented, placing a hand on Rose's shoulder as she lunged to strangle him. "Or should I schedule you another lesson in Mega Evolution to remind you that fear is nothing to laugh about?"

Wes paled again at that and muttered the first rule, which Jason only smirked at for a moment before turning to Acerola with a frown. "Well, your trial… you make the call."

"Unfortunately, my hands are tied too", Acerola replied, shaking her head. "Rose needs to complete my trial to move on, but I can have Wes complete it by himself if he wants to… knowing uncle, he won't be ready to give them the Grand Trial until just before you guys are scheduled to go to Poni Island, so she'll have tons of time to complete it!"

"But that means she would have to face it without Wes", Nayru replied. "I get that she's scared and all, but it would probably be wise for her to be with someone so she wouldn't have to face it alone."

"Hey, she has me!" Maple commented boldly. "I'm not afraid of any stupid ghosts!"

"You're weak to ghost types now that you're a psychic type", Nayru pointed out, causing Maple to stagger a bit.

"W-well so are you!" Maple shot back, hovering directly in Nayru's face, who glared back at her.

"Alrght, settle down you two", Jason intervened, petting them both on the head. "But we are at a problem here. On the one hand, Rose does have tons of time to complete this trial, but she would have to do it alone with her Pokemon and without another human present, as I cannot directly be involved in the trial… she would have time to prepare herself for later, however… Rose, it's your call in the end."

"But don't take too long!" Acerola commented, grinning mischievously.

"Do you have to rush my student?"

"Hey, when you said get ready for the trial I did! And the ghosts don't like to wait that long."

Rose took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, the shaking of her entire body becoming less violent before finally she opened her eyes again. "I-I'll do it."

"You sure?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am", Rose confidently said, stepping forward. "I-It's only pictures… w-what can go wrong?"

"Do not worry, Rose!" Rotom-dex suddenly said, coming from her purse. "I am a ghost type too and I can not only protect you but take the pictures you require as well!"

"You're in a PokeDex, I hardly count you as protection", Wes smugly grinned, earning himself a glare from the device.

"Well… looks like the trial is on!" Acerola cheerfully said. "Lucky you for guys, I already counted on your Rotom-dex. He has a special shooting mode just for this trial. Now, as soon as you enter the building, your trial will begin, so if you wanna make plans just in case any of the ghosts turn hostile, now is the time."

"W-w-whoa!" Rose gasped, suddenly stepping back. "Y-you didn't say anything about battling them!"

"It's a trial, Rose, what did you expect?" Wes sighed, taking out his Moon Ball. "Thankfully, I've been awaiting this moment… Blake, I choose you!" Out of the ball emerged the Shiny Eevee, who let out a cry of glee and rubbed his master's ankle. "Since Blake here is a Normal type, he's immune to Ghost type attacks! We've been secretly practicing his battling, so I am sure he'll do great!"

"Well, that's good defensively, but what about damaging the ghost types?" Acerola pointed out.

"Master made sure he learned Shadow Ball awhile back, so I think we are covered there", Nayru stated, and Blake nodded with confidence, puffing his chest forward a bit with pride.

"W-well if you're using Blake", Rose stuttered, pulling out her PokeBall. "Come forth, Brionne!" The sea lion popped forth from her ball, clapping happily. Acerola nodded at both of them, walking forward and opening the rotten door to the site, causing Rose to jump as the door creaked. Wes, Nayru and Blake walked forward confidently, and with shaky legs, Rose followed after them with Maple and Brionne in tow.

"Wow, this place is a dump!" Wes muttered, looking around and frowning, and once Rose was fully inside, she could see what he was referring to. The floor tiles were all cracked and chipped in various places, and carboard boxes lied abandoned in disorganized fashion, covered in dust and dirt like they had been there for years. Shelves and carts lined the area, making getting around look like it was going to be a miniature maze.

"T-this place gives me the creeps", Rose stuttered, inching herself closer to Wes. "W-why did we h-have to have the trial in h-here?"

"Well, it makes sense for ghost types to take control of an abandoned place like this", Wes said, walking forward a bit with Rose following around, practically glued to his size. Suddenly, they heard a noise, and Rose instantly grabbed onto Wes' arm in fear. Looking around, Wes noticed that a conveyor belt on one of the old checkout lanes stated to move, with no one at the register to control it.

"W-W-Wes", Rose shivered, clenching onto his arm. "W-w-why did that start moving by itself?"

Wes narrowed his eyes, looking at the register before he turned to Nayru, who nodded as if she was sensing something there. Rotom flew forward and his screen turned into a camera, pointed directly at the spot where the cash drawer sat, and there on his screen was a Gastly, floating directly over the register and laughing. Wes smirked and touched Rotom's screen, snapping a picture of the ghost Pokemon, which instantly made itself visible and looked down at them with a devlish grin.

"Blake, Shadow Ball!" Wes commanded. As Gastly flew down to strike (and Rose let out a shriek), Blake rushed forward and formed an orb of darkness in his mouth, before it shot forward and struck Gastly, who was thrown back by the blast and disappeared as quickly as he came.

"See, there's nothing to be afraid of!" Wes commented, looking at Rose, whose eyes were tightly shut as she hugged Wes' arm. "Uh… can you be a bit gentler? You're going to cut off my blood circulation."

Rose blinked suddenly, before blushing heavily and letting go of Wes' arm instantly. "I d-dunno what you're talking about! I w-wasn't doing anything!"

Wes sighed and shook his head, before he heard a bark from Blake. Wes looked where Blake was staring at to see a Pikachu run into view for a split second before it vanished just as quickly as it came. Rose let out a whimper of fear, but Wes was confused. "Why would a Pikachu be here? Come on, let's investigate farther."

"D-do we have to?" Rose asked, looking at Wes with pleading eyes.

"If we want to complete this trial, then yes… and I get the feeling that Pikachu is the key to this whole thing", Wes grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, giving her the courage to walk on. As they walked, the atmosphere of the entire area seemed to get cooler, and before they even got past the cash registers a shopping cart began to tremble violently, the rattling sound echoing off of the rotting wooden structure. Rose hugged Wes' arm again, burying her face into his bicep.

"Brionne, help!" Rose shouted. Brionne leapt forward and shot a jet of water from her mouth, aimed directly at the shopping cart, but whatever was causing the shaking wasn't hit by the water, as the cart not only continued to shake, but an eerie laughter filled the air, as if something was amused by the fear it was causing Rose.

"Hey, don't just attack without warning", Wes muttered, his voice a bit gentle due to how scared his companion was. "We need to reveal it with a picture first, remember?"

"M-maybe I don't wanna see it!" Rose shot back, glaring at Wes from her 'hiding' spot.

"Don't worry, it's probably just another Gastly", Rotom said, flying forward and activating his camera, before his eye blinked. "I was wrong, it's a Haunter." Wes looked into the screen to see that a purple ghost was flying above the cart in a circle, as if it was creating a spiritual tornado that was causing the shaking to occur. Wes simply tapped the screen, and the sound of the picture being taken caused the Haunter to look over at them, appearing into the physical world as well.

"Blake, Shadow Ball once more!" Wes commanded, pointing toward the Haunter.

"Brionne, u-use Bubble Beam!" Rose ordered. Both Blake and Brionne jumped forward, launching their respective attacks towards the Haunter, who danced around the Shadow Ball easily, but was not expecting the Bubble Beam to be as strong as it was, as he got sent flying back just like the Gastly, before disappearing from sight once more, his laugher becoming fainter before disappearing all together.

"Um… Rose?" Wes asked, looking down at her. "It's gone."

Rose began to loosen her grip on Wes' arm, but she made no attempt to let go this time, as she opened her eyes a little bit and found herself seeing something yellow move across the floor. "H-hey, the Pikachu is going t-that way!"

"Then we're going that way too", Wes bravely said, tugging Rose along with him as he began to walk forward, the redhead whimpering again as she reluctantly walked with him. Nayru and Maple gave a bit of a sheepish grin at one another as they watched the two walk so close together, before following after them. Due to the scattered objects in the store, they had to navigate around the back of the left side of the store for a bit before they finally came to a clearing where they saw a Pikachu and Marill doll hovering in the air. The grip that Rose had on Wes' arm tightened once more, Rotom flying forward and revealing that a Gengar was invisible and playing with the dolls, grinning his signature grin as he did so.

"Wow, a Gengar!" Wes gasped, looking in awe as the purple phantom appeared after having his picture taken. "I've always wanted one!"

"P-please don't c-catch it!" Rose shouted at him.

"He can't anyway", Maple reminded her. "We aren't allowed to catch any of the Pokemon here until our trial is complete, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah I know", Wes gave a sigh, pointing forward. "You know what to do, Blake!"

Blake gave a confident nod, rushing forward and firing a Shadow Ball, which hit the Gengar dead on. The ghost retaliated with a Shadow Ball of his own, but Blake jumped directly into the attack, passing through it as if it was nothing but air due to being a normal type.

"Use Bite!" Wes commanded. Blake rushed forward and lashed onto Genger with his teeth, who struggled a bit before vanishing, letting Blake fall harmlessly to the top of the doll rack, where he boldly stood with confidence, before his ear twitched and he looked over to see Pikachu run into a black room and out of sight. "A back room?" Wes asked, looking confused and stepping forward.

"W-w-wait!" Rose suddenly shouted, tugging at Wes. Wes looked confused for a moment before he suddenly saw Acerola standing there, as if she appeared out of nowhere.

"Who are you?" she asked, staring at the back room.

"…Acerola?" Wes asked, stepping forward a bit in confusion.

"Oh… never mind that", she continued to speak, as if she did not hear Wes at all. "Looks like you're done with the trial, right? We should hurry up and leave this place."

"Oh, thank Arceus for that!" Rose said, attempting to leave, but suddenly Wes grabbed her hand again. Rose turned to protest, but could see that Wes was wearing that same look he had given Lillie when he was demanding to know the contents of her bag.

"We aren't done yet", Wes sternly said to her. "That Gengar wasn't the totem Pokemon… now, if you don't mind, move."

"This place is dangerous", Acerola said, this time with a bit more force in her voice. "You should give up on your trial and get out."

"And what about the Totem Pokemon?" Wes asked, before suddenly something seemed to click, and he narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Of course."

"W-what is it?" Rose asked, looking between the Trial Captain and Wes with a mixture of fright and confusion.

Acerola seemed to suddenly panic, as she began to flail and scream. "I told you to get out! Get out! GET OUT!"

"An illusion", Wes shouted, pointing. "Nayru!" Nayru suddenly struck out with Psyshock, causing Rose to scream in panic, but the attack passed through the girl like she wasn't even there, and in an instant, she vanished into nothing. Rose whimpered for the third time, clinging onto Wes harder as the boy stepped forward, pushing the door to the back room open. The back room didn't seem that large and was covered on the walls with pictures of Pikachu. Rose flinched suddenly as the door shut behind them, and even Wes froze as he could sense something was in the room with them.

"G-guys!" Rotom suddenly said, his screen turning into picture mode. "L-look behind you!"

As they slowly turned their heads, Rotom gave a clicking sound indicating that he had snapped a picture. Standing directly behind them was a Pokemon unlike Wes had ever seen before, covered in a rag that was drawn on to look like a Pikachu, with a wooden tail shaped like Pikachu's. Now that Wes could see the creature closely, this is what they had been chasing all along, and only thought it was a Pikachu.

"Seeeeee meeeeee!?" it suddenly screeched, suddenly glowing with an aura of power much like the other Totem Pokemon. Rose jumped back so far that she actually pulled Wes all the way back to the wall and onto the floor, screaming all the way.

"What is that thing?!" Wes asked, pulling out his black PokeDex and holding it up, a picture of the creature appearing on its screen. "Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokemon. Its actual appearance is unknown. A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock."

"Oh, that's real great!" Rose screamed, her voice muffled due to her face being buried into Wes' chest. "W-we're facing something that can kill us!"

"The PokeDex exaggerates all the time", Wes told her, pulling her back onto her feet. Rose looked towards the totem Pokemon, giving a small squeak of fear. The rag covered Pokemon let out a sharp cry, and a Banette suddenly appeared into view as well. "Blake, Shadow Ball!" Blake let out a cry as he launched his attack at the Mimikyu, however to Wes' surprise the attack seemed to harmlessly bounce off the creature, though it's head suddenly seemed to slump over a bit. Wes blinked, looking back at the PokeDex and reading some more. "Mimikyu's signature ability, Disguise. Once per battle, the shroud that covers the Pokémon can protect it from an attack."

"Brionne, Bubble Beam!" Rose screamed, and the water type obeyed her command, sending a stream of bubbles that blasted Banette, sending it fleeing. Mimikyu, however, let out a cry as a shadowed hand appeared from its rag, slashing Brionne and sending her flying back and hitting the wall. Despite getting back up, Brionne seemed heavily injured by the attack.

"That was Shadow Claw!" Wes commented, and grinned. "Blake, Shadow Ball once more!" Blake sent out another ball of darkness, which slammed into the Mimikyu and almost seemed to do enough to knock it out instantly, but the Disguise Pokemon shrugged it off like it was nothing, before suddenly charging forward and slamming into Blake with a glow of pink energy. Blake yelled out in pain, landing on the ground and getting up slowly, injured by the attack.

"That was Play Rough!" Nayru informed Wes with wide eyes. "A Fairy type move!"

"Huh?" Wes asked, before looking back at the PokeDex and sighing. "…I should really read this whole thing… it's a Ghost and Fairy type!"

"Whatever type it is, it's still creepy!" Rose cried in terror, pointing wildly with her left hand as she continued to cling to Wes with her right. "Icy Wind, Icy Wind, Icy Wind!" Brionne let out a deep breath, which was covered in snow and ice particles, which hit Mimikyu and began to cover it over in ice. Wes knew that the attack would drop the speed of the creature, but it didn't change the fact that it was still empowered by the aura. Mimikyu's eyes glowed with fury, as it charged forward once again, this time preparing to use a slash attack.

"Look out Brionne!" Wes shouted. Blake suddenly dashed forward, and slammed into Mimikyu's body with a bite attack. As the two parted from the blow, however, Blake began to glow with blue energy. His body began to grow and become more streamline, and his ears and tail began more cylindrical in shape and pointed at the ends. When the glow stopped, Blake's entire body had become black in coloration, with blue rings on his ears, tail, limbs and forehead. He opened his eyes, revealing a yellow coloration had taken them.

"Blake evolved into Umbreon!" Nayru and Maple screamed at the same time.

"This time, allow me, Wes", Rotom said, flying forward and showing a normal colored Umbreon on his PokeDex screen, which had yellow rings and red eyes. "Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokemon. Umbreon evolved as a result of exposure to the moon's waves. It hides silently in darkness and waits for its foes to make a move. The rings on its body glow when it leaps to attack."

"A dark type", Rose commented, her head still buried in Wes' arm. "That means that Mimikyu's fairy attacks will do more damage…"

"But at the same time, Blake's dark type attacks are stronger", Wes pointed out. "Blake, Bite!" Blake leapt forward, getting more air due to his longer legs and slicker body, lashing out at Mimikyu with his sharp teeth. The totem Pokemon attacked Blake with another Play Rough, but despite it being super effective against the now dark type Pokemon, Blake did not seem too bothered by the assault, and landed elegantly a few yards away.

"Umbreon are known for being defensive Pokemon, zzt", Rotom commented, grinning a bit.

"Brionne, slow down Mimikyu some more!" Rose commanded. "Use Icy Wind!" Bironne inhaled again, and let out a stream of icy breath towards Mimikyu, which began to crystalize on his body once again, this time it did not shake it off as easily.

"Blake, Moonlight!" Wes commanded. Blake closed his eyes, focusing as the moon's glow came through the damaged roof and covered his body, healing his injuries. "Now, Foul Play!" Blake's eyes shot open again, and a dark aura overtook his body before he charged forward, slamming into Mimikyu and sending him flying back. For a few seconds, Blake and Mimikyu faced one another, before Mimikyu suddenly vanished, leaving behind nothing in its wake.

"W-w-where did it go?" Rose shivered in fear, looking around wildly.

"Gone", Wes breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we won, Rose."

"Well, that's a relief…" Rose sighed as well, loosening her grip on Wes' arm, but suddenly the lights in the building all turned off, causing a sudden shriek of horror to escape from the redhead.

"Ow! Rose, you're squeezing me!" Wes' voice gasped, struggling for air.

"I hate this place!" Rose cried.

"Calm down!" Nayru called out. "Where are you two?"

"Ouch, that was my tail!" Maple suddenly shouted.

Blue light suddenly shinned in the room, and a hugging Rose and Wes blinked and turned to look at the source. The blue rings on Blake's body were glowing vividly, illuminating the darkness before them. Nayru and Maple also blinked, and Nayru slowly released Maple's tail now that she could see what she had grabbed onto.

"Alright, Blake, lead the way", Wes commanded, letting go of Rose's body, though the redhead still made sure she grabbed his arm. Blake nodded at his trainer and began to guide the party forward until they were stepping out of the building, where Acerola and Jason were standing in waiting. Acerola was grinning ear to ear, while Jason's eyes darted from Rose's hand clinging onto Wes' arm, to the newly evolved Blake.

"Welcome back, you two!" Acerola greeted them, before looking at Rose's hand as well. "You two had fun it looks like!" Immediately, Rose let go to Wes' arm, muttering something to herself. Acerola giggled at this, before reaching up and grabbing onto the Rotom-dex. "Alright, let's see your photos…"

"Hey, easy with the screen taps!" Rotom commented, chuckling a bit as if he was being tickled.

"Yup, you got a picture of Mimikyu alright!" Acerola commented, holding the picture up on the screen with pride. Wes couldn't help but notice it was very fuzzy, and the room around them was impossible to make out. "It's pretty hard to catch it on film, so this is a really great attempt!"

"B-but it wasn't even moving", Rotom commented, hovering back into the air once he was released from the grip of the trial captain. "How did the picture get so blurry?"

"Does it matter?" Rose replied, readjusting herself. "I'm just glad to be done with this place!"

"Well, since you two completed the trial, here you go!" Acerola held out a purple Z-Crystal, which she handed to both Wes and Rose. "The Ghostium Z!"

"Thanks, Acerola!" Wes replied, looking back towards the trial sight. "You know, I might wanna go back in there and catch me a Gastly, Haunter or Gengar so that I can-"

"Don't you dare!" Rose suddenly shouted at him, looking angry. "I had enough of ghosts for the time being! Those weird objects that they were moving, that back room!"

"Back room?" Acerola asked, looking confused. "Oh, cut it out! Don't try and scare me! I know there's no back room here!"

Rose once again showed fear as she looked at Acerola, but even Wes looked at her with a look of shock on his face. "Excuse you?"

"There isn't a back room here", Acerola commented again, this time looking at them seriously. "It collapsed ages ago. Makes sense since it was the weakest part of the entire structure… brrr, I feel like I'm getting chicken skin. I'll catch you guys later, ok!" And with a slight shiver, she walked off, muttering to herself about there being no back room.

"S-she was kidding, right?" Rose commented, looking horrified after her. "S-she can't be serious!"

Wes walked towards the building and peered inside the facility, looking around for a moment before turning back to Rose and Jason, his eyes widened. "Uh… the door to that room is gone."

Nayru, Maple, Brionne and Blake all gasped and rushed forward, looking into the building themselves before turning to Jason and Rose with the same expression Wes donned. Rose blinked once, before turning and walking after Acerola. "Nope, nope, nope! I'm leaving! I'm out! Goodbye weird spooky place!"

Wes walked up to Jason and looked at his teacher with eyes hungry for information. "You know a lot about a lot of thing, care to explain what that was all about?"

Jason looked at Wes for a moment before shrugging, "Not my trial, not my problem. I have to keep some mystery and suspense here."

"Hey you two!" Rose called back, glaring at them. "Hurry up! I don't wanna walk home alone!"

"We're coming!" Jason sighed, shaking his head and following after with Wes and the other Pokemon in tow, unaware that a Mimikyu was peering out at them from the bushes, watching as they left the trial site behind.


	23. Invasion of Po Town

**Pokemon Direct in two days (at the time of posting this) for Sword and Shield! The hype is real guys!**

 **This is where I usually thank my reviewers for the last chapter... however, there is an issue I need to address. I'll be putting it in a second author's note at the bottom of this chapter, just to not clog up the top.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Wes:  
** Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)  
Faye the Ribombee (Level Ball)  
Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)  
Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)  
Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)  
Blake the Umbreon (Moon Ball, shiny)

 **Rose:  
** Shelgon (Great Ball)  
Brionne (Poke Ball)  
Opal the Lycanroc (Fast Ball, Dusk Form)  
Maple the Raichu (Love Ball, Alolan Form)  
Reiki the Lucario (Ultra Ball)  
Salandit (Luxury Ball)

* * *

Alola barely experienced rain and was usually bright and sunny most of the time, but ominous rain clouds were hanging in the sky that day as the students sat outside for the lesson, Jason standing in front of a portable chalk board as he spoke. Several of the students had brought umbrellas for cover at a moments notice, however as Wes eyed the dark clouds in the sky, he realized they seemed to be stationary over a town in the distance, at least for the time being.

"And that is the history of the modern PokeBall", Jason finished explaining, looking at his students. "But of course, while the mass production of the PokeBall is handed under Silph Co. and the Devon Corporation, they are not where PokeBalls originated from. Can anyone tell me where the first PokeBall originated?"

Of course, it was Rose that was the first to raise her hand, and Jason turned to her in acknowledgment, nodding to her. The redhead cleared her throat before answering, "The invention of PokeBall occurred in the Johto region, where Apricorns grow natively. These fruits were cut apart and carved out, then fitted with a special device, and used to catch wild Pokemon."

"Almost word for word from the book, 'History of Pokemon'", Wes muttered mockingly, which caused Rose to elbow him.

"Wes, you have yet to answer a question, so be quiet", Jason replied, glaring a bit at the trainer. "Don't worry about the rain clouds and focus on the lesson! Now, when exactly did the research that lead to the creation of the modern PokeBall occur?"

Before Rose could even raise her hand, a new voice spoke up. "Professor Westwood of Celadon University lead the research team that studied Apricorn PokeBalls and developed the first proto-type PokeBalls, eventually leading to the creation of the PokeBall that most trainers use today. In addition, he also assisted the team that worked on the PokeDex and was said to have written many of the entries for the device." Jason blinked and turned to the source of the voice, where the students could see a man standing there wearing white robes with a black pattern going up the middle, and a black scarf around his neck, and a black sash around his waist.

"Grimsley?" Jason said in recognition. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Unova?"

"I stepped down from my position in the Elite Four to come to Alola", Grimsley replied, a nod towards Jason.

"Wait, you can do that?" Jason asked, baffled.

"Why of course", Grimsley assured him. "Though you usually need to find someone to take your place… I must admit, it was quite worth going through that hassle. I find that Mantine Surfing is a hobby which I excel at."

"So, that is who 'Big G' is on all the leaderboards", Jason thought out loud, before turning back to his students, who were looking extremely confused and baffled. "Oh right… students, this is Grimsley, former Dark type Pokemon Master of the Unovan Elite Four!"

"It's very nice to meet you all", Grimsley waved at them. "I must admit, I never thought that when I battled you, Jason, that you would be the teaching type. Hmm, I wonder how much your students know… tell me, kids, what are the specific qualities of Dark type Pokemon?"

Jason smirked as almost every student raised their hand. He remembered their lesson on Dark Type Pokemon a long time ago and was quite pleased when Grimsley called on a student who gave him a perfect answer. "Dark type Pokemon are strong against Psychic and Ghost types, but are weak to Bug, Fighting and Fairy types. They are unique as they take no damage at all from Psychic type attacks, making them the perfect counter to the type."

"A perfect answer", Grimsley beamed, and turned to Rose. "You, young lady, seem very eager as a student. Can you tell me what would happen if the Dark typing was combined with the Poison typing?"

"The only weakness from that Pokemon would be Ground", Rose answered without even thinking about it. "Dark is weak against Bug, Fighting and Fairy types; all types are resisted by Poison, who is weak to Ground and Psychic. Since Dark types are completely immune to Psychic types, it only leaves Ground as the weakness."

"Very impressive, young lady", Grimsley replied. "Hmm… let me think… Oh, I bet none of you know this one. Who is the current champion of the Unova region? We recently had a Champion change, so no it is not Alder."

This stumped several students, including Rose, as the news that Alder was defeated and stepped down was shocking to all of them. However, to everyone's surprise, Wes raised his hand, and Grimsley called on him. "Iris, right? She was the last to challenge him."

"That is correct, young man", Grimsley nodded at him, beaming. "Well, seems like you have taught them well, Jason. As a reward for your marvelous students, I have beamed the data of Ride Sharpedo into their Ride Pagers. I'm sure it will be useful should you ever need to cross a body of water with rocks blocking the way." With that, he waved and began to walk off, with Jason looking after him sheepishly.

"He was always a strange one… when I beat him, he only said to me 'Now, I'm nothing more than the guy who lost... Nothing more, nothing less'… yet, he didn't seem mad. I could never read the guy", Jason sighed, before turning back to the students, who were now all looking at him very eagerly. "Er… so anyway, back to PokeBalls-"

"Man, I knew you said you were from Unova, but I didn't know you made it so far into the Unovan League!"

"Can you show us a Unovan Pokemon! Please, please, please!"

"I'd like to see one myself, honestly", Rose commented, with Wes, Nayru and Maple nodding as well.

Jason sighed, defeated. He knew that unless he complied, the students would be too distracted to follow along with the rest of the lesson. "Fine… Go, Fraxure!" Out of the ball he threw appeared a bipedal, draconic Pokémon with long, gray tusks with red tips protruding from the sides of its mouth, dark eyes with red irises, a gray face, and a cowl-like feature of green segments on its head, neck, back and chest. Several of the students gave gasps of shock and wonder, and Jason smirked at them all. "This is Fraxure, a Pokemon that I've been raising, and one that evolves into a Dragon type known as Haxorus. I happen to know a particularly territorial Haxorus, who gave me one of her babies as a sign of trust, though I think it was also because the little guy was too ambitious and adventure seeking for his own good. Now, you all promised, so let's get back to the lesson."

Before Jason could speak again, however, tons of smoke suddenly filled the air. Several students screamed in shock, and immediately Jason, Wes and Rose sprang into action. As the smoke cleared, Fraxure, Nayru and Shelgon were standing at the ready, looking around wildly for signs of an attack, but nothing really seemed to be there.

"Is everyone alright?" Rose asked.

"What happened?" Kukui asked, running to them from the school. "I saw a bunch of smoke suddenly appear!"

"Seems like someone tried to take my Fraxure", Jason muttered, looking at the Pokemon in question, who's claws were dripping with a bit of blood. "However, seems like the people who tried to do it got away… and I bet anything that I know who was behind it."

A sudden shriek caught their attention, and everyone turned to stare at the source. Chloe was looking around in a panic, eyes wide with fear as she turned to stare at them all. "Bulby! Where is Bulby!?"

Jason's eyes went wide, knowing instantly that Chloe's Bulbasaur must've been taken instead. He walked up to her instantly, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, you don't need to worry! I am pretty sure I know who did it, so I'm going to-"

"Professor, look!" Juan suddenly said, pointing. Kukui looked over to see a letter lying on the ground nearby to where Chloe was standing, as if it was dropped in a hasty panic to flee before the smoke cleared. Kukui picked up the letter, and looked at the back of it before turning to Wes and holding it out to him.

"Wes, it's for you."

The red-eyed teen looked confused as he pointed to himself, before stepping forward and receiving the letter. Everyone's eyes were on him as he opened it up, cleared his throat, and began to read.

 _Dear Wes,_

 _It_ _'_ _s ya boy, Guzma! I told you when you defeated me that you made a dangerous enemy, and that next time I would beat you down! That time has come! If you want to see_ (insert Pokemon name here) _again, come to our crib Po Town, and come alone! If we see anyone else with you, you will never see the Pokemon again!_

 _Guzma_

"Insert Pokemon name here?" Rose asked, looking at the letter and sure enough, she noticed that was written underneath a giant line, as if the grunts were to write in a Pokemon name before dropping the letter. "What, did they just plan to steal whatever they could for ransom?"

"Seems like it", Juan sighed, looking grimly at the letter. "Though they are a bunch of misfits and stupid, even this action is dangerous for them."

Jason was glaring at the letter and snarling, before he turned and recalled his Fraxure into its ball before glaring in the direction of the rain clouds. "Alright then… you stay here, I-"

"Wait, but the letter said that I should go", Wes stated, looking over at Jason, who's head turned to look at him so fast that Wes flinched.

"Didn't I tell you that next time something like this happened, you were to NOT get involved with Team Skull?" Jason reminded him.

"Jason, perhaps we should listen to Guzma and let Wes go", Kukui suggested, earning himself an 'ARE YOU KIDDING ME' look from the student teacher, which he ignored and continued. "Guzma seemed serious when he said that Wes should come alone… we cannot just take his threat lightly."

"Guzma's dumber than a Slowpoke!" Jason shot back, crossing his arms. "What's he gonna do?"

"That is a risk we should not take", Kukui stated, looking over at Chloe, who's face had paled significantly with worry. "But at the same time, Wes might need help… I have an idea. We shall send Chloe, Rose and you to Aether House. It's a small house on Route 15 that is used as an orphanage for human children and Pokémon. I'm sure the Oranguru there will let you stay there, since Acerola is a resident… The house is close enough that you can see Po Town, and if Wes is in danger, he can send a Pokemon attack into the air as a signal."

"We're coming too!" Lillie boldly stated, with Juan nodding. "Chloe is our friend and we should be there for support!"

"Very well", Kukui nodded, turning to the other students. "The rest of you, class is canceled due to this emergency! Please return to your dorms, and don't try and sneak off to Aether House! I will be keeping an eye on all of you!"

Several of the other students groaned but obeyed the order as they were herded like sheep back towards the school building. Jason, meanwhile, was grumbling to himself as he sulked off towards Route 15, followed by Wes, Rose, Chloe, Lillie and Juan. As they walked, Jason's grumbling continued and seemed to get worse the closer they got to Aether House, reaching a point that Wes and Rose could both clearly hear him muttering the same phrase over and over.

"It doesn't bother me; it doesn't bother me."

"Alright, I'll be back before you know it!" Wes grinned, turning to them all and smirking at them as they approached Aether House.

"Wes, please be careful", Rose said, her expression one of concern.

"Don't worry, I beat Guzma once", Wes nodded towards her. "I can do it again."

"We'll get back Bulby, Chloe", Nayru said, giving the trainer in question a nod of her own. "Promise."

"T-Thank you, both of you", Chloe warmly smiled. Wes gave her a grin and a thumbs up before turning and heading off towards Route 16, Nayru floating after him.

"Don't worry", Maple said with a smile. "I'll know if they are in any real trouble, and if so we can go after them Rose."

Rose nodded and ended up sitting on the front steps of the Aether House, along with Chloe, Lillie and Juan. Lillie was speaking to her bag, and it seemed Nebby was restless and wanted to come out again, Juan quickly joining her in attempting to calm the nebula Pokemon down. Chloe and Rose were both looking out towards Route 16 and eyeing Po Town in the distance, each one donning a worried expression on their face. Jason, meanwhile, was pacing impatiently, muttering the same line over and over until finally his expression began to twist a bit.

"It doesn't bother me; it doesn't bother- …It bothers me. It bothers me SO MUCH!"

"J-Jason, wait!" Rose shouted after him, the elder trainer in question storming off.

"I have been a pain in his ass ever since I got here, and he chooses to focus on Wes just because he beat him once! Well, that's not going to fly with me! I'll show him how much of a pain I can _really_ be!"

"I-Is he talking to us or just venting to himself?" Lillie asked, looking after him.

"I think he's just venting", Juan stated. "Either way, I hope he doesn't do something drastic."

"Wes should already be at Po Town", Maple stated, looking off into the distance. "As long as he keeps Team Skull busy enough, there shouldn't be an issue."

"Let's hope", Chloe whispered. _Please be okay_ _… Wes… Bulby._

XxXxXxX

"So, can you think of a reason that a town is surrounded by walls like this?"

Wes only had that question as he stared up at the giant, stone walls that were almost black in color, blending into the stormy sky as the rain fell upon Wes and Nayru. Naryu didn't look too pleased, shaking herself and sending water everywhere, only to groan as she just continued to get wet from the storm. "We really should've brought an umbrella…"

"There's no time to worry about that now", Wes stated, looking at the door before realizing that they weren't alone. Standing in front of the gate to the town was an elderly man with grey hair, wearing a black, short sleeved police jacket with a red undershirt, black pants held up by a leather belt and a pair of sandals.

"You there, boy", the man said, realizing they were walking up at him with the intension to get into the town. "You're trying to get into Po Town, right? You sure you've thought this through? You better be ready if you're thinking of going in there, ready to either take on Team Skull or live as Team Skull... you really think you're ready for that?"

"I am", Wes replied confidently. "One of my friend's Pokemon was stolen by Team Skull, and I intend to get it back!"

The officer huffed at that, "I guess everyone has their own reasons. I've got my reasons, too, for doing what I do. Very well, I'll let you in… if you don't make it, I'll be sure your remains at least get back home." He then pressed a button and the steel doors to the town opened, and as he walked off to the side, he could see Wes' eyes locked onto him. "You got a problem?"

"I do", Wes commented, staring particularly at the yellow badge on the man's left sleeve. "You're the police! Why are you letting Team Skull do whatever they want? You're stopping people from entering their town, the town they took from the locals, but you aren't doing anything else! So, why? Who do you think you are anyway?"

"Wes, don't pick a fight with an officer!" Nayru warned him.

The man stared at Wes for a moment before huffing again. "Name's Nanu, and like I told you before, kid, I got my reasons for doing what I do. Team Skull usually is locked up in their little town thanks to me, and sure, they get out from time to time and cause mischief, but it's just that… I'm not stupid enough to fight a pointless battle, kid. They do not pose a serious threat to the wellbeing of Alola and its residents, they're thuggish nuisances at worst."

Wes glared at him for a little bit before walking towards the gate but stopping just to Nanu's side and speaking again. "Justify your actions by saying it's pointless to try and oppose them… in my mind, you're just a coward." And with that, he stepped inside the gates, not looking back to see that Nanu was watching after him, a curious expression on his face.

When Wes fully stepped past the gates, however, he could see that Nanu did have a point. The entire town was Team Skull-afied, with graffiti everywhere, and barricades set up to prevent anyone from getting inside, as if they had expected him to come. Sure enough, two Skull grunts were standing at the first barricade, staring directly at Wes.

"The boss is expecting you", the first grunt said, holding up a Nest Ball. "But he didn't say anything about us softening you up. Go, Spinarak!"

"Unlike last time, you're not going to be ready for the boss", the second grunt replied, also holding up a Nest Ball. "We'll make sure your Pokemon are too injured to fight the boss properly! Go, Trubbish!"

Out of the two Nest Balls appeared a spider looking Pokemon and a trash bag looking Pokemon, both of them charging forward and ready to strike. Nayru simply sighed, and with a flick of her wrist, Spikarak was sent flying back from the force of her Psychock attack. Wes pulled out his Moon Ball and sent Blake out, who charged forward and used Foul Play to instantly defeat the Trubbish.

"O-oh man… this kid is no joke!" the first grunt whimpered, staring in shock at both Nayru and Blake.

"H-hey man, let's cheese it!" the second grunt stated. "I-if we get back to the mansion, we can prepare enough grunts to hold this kid off!"

"G-g-good idea, bro!" the first grunt muttered, and instantly they both recalled their Pokemon and took off, rushing back to the mansion with haste.

"Well… that isn't good", Nayru said, as Wes watched them run off. "I don't wanna know what an entire army of grunts would look like…"

"We need to find a way to avoid as many of them as possible", Wes realized, though he could see movement in the mansion up ahead. "Though… I get the feeling that isn't going to be easy…"

"Can we at least get out of the rain?" Nayru shivered, shaking herself again.

"Yeah, let's dip into one of the abandoned houses and rest for a moment", Wes stated, and took off into a run towards one of the worn-down houses. Once inside, he pulled a towel out of his backpack and handed it to Nayru, who began to dry herself off instantly.

"Any ideas, master?" Nayru asked, realizing that Wes was staring out the window into the storm, his eyes focused on the mansion, where he could see about ten or so grunts had gathered at the front door.

"Well, maybe if we use Faye to fly up towards one of the top windows and lower something down for us to climb, we can sneak into the base", Wes thought out loud.

"That isn't going to work", a voice behind them said, causing Wes, Nayru and Blake to whip around. "There's probably going to be a grunt or two up there as well." A figure stepped out of the shadows, around Wes' age, wearing the standard female Team Skull uniform. Her brown hair was in two braids, draping one over each shoulder, and her hazel eyes were locked onto Wes. Blake was growling at her, and Nayru was holding out her hand, psychic energy filling it.

"Who are you?" Wes asked, sizing her up. "You don't look like the other grunts I've seen."

"My name is Selene", the girl replied, smiling at him. "And I'm on your side."

"That so?" Wes asked, looking confused. "I highly doubt a Team Skull member would be on my side."

"You got a point there", Selene replied, shrugging. "But I'm no ordinary Team Skull member. See, I moved here from Kanto about a year ago, and ever since then I've had to watch this region suffer because of Team Skull's actions. So, I decided that I wanted to do something about it. I joined Team Skull with the intention of figuring out how to change them from the inside… sadly, it's not working too well…"

"I can see that", Wes bluntly replied. "So why stick around with these misfits then?"

"Call it a hunch", Selene answered. "Originally, I was just going to leave once I realized that no one could really help me out, but then two things happened. The first was that Gladion joined Team Skull, and well…" the girl began to blush at that, before shaking her head. "A-anyway! The second thing was that Guzma began to talk to Lusamine a lot."

"The President of the Aether Foundation?" Wes asked, so stunned that he dropped his guard. "What would she be in talks with Team Skull for? The Aether Foundation said that they protect Pokemon that Team Skull has targeted."

"Can you really believe everything the Aether Foundation says?" Selene asked bluntly, and when Wes couldn't reply, she smirked. "So, I stuck around. Me and Gladion have been attempting to figure out what's been going on ever since. Any little bit helps, ya know?"

"Alright, happy to hear that you two are doing that", Wes replied, shaking his head. He found it weird that Gladion and this bubbly girl could be working on dismantling Team Skull from the inside, due to his history with Gladion, but he put it out of his head at the moment. "But I am in somewhat of a hurry. If you really are on my side, then can you help me get to Guzma? He stole one of my friend's Pokemon… a Bulbasaur."

Selene blinked in realization, "So that is why two grunts ran in here screaming something about accomplishing a mission… wait, that means you're Wes! The one that beat Guzma!"

"I-I am", Wes said surprised. "But yeah, if you don't mind helping me, that would be great."

Selene began to think, before she grinned and nodded. "Alright then! Here, put these on!"

"Huh?" Wes saw a blob of black being thrown at him, and after catching it he realized that he was holding a Team Skull uniform, complete with shoes and all.

"Just put your ordinary clothes in your backpack for now!" Selene stated, her grin unfading. "Once we do that, recall your Pokemon, and then we can pose you as a grunt!"

"Now hold on a moment!" Nayru suddenly interjected. "I don't do PokeBalls!"

"Come on, Nayru! Just please get into your Friend Ball", Wes pleaded. "If we don't do this, how are we going to get Bulby back!"

"I'll just stay here!" Nayru huffed, crossing her arms.

"You have gone in the ball before, what's the issue this time?"

"The issue is that I hate it, that's what!"

"Okay, okay, hold on!" Selene interrupted, stepping forward. "This still could work to our favor… you mind playing possum, Nayru?"

Nayru blinked, before looking at the girl with narrow eyes. "What are you suggesting exactly?"

So with a quick change, recalling Blake into his Moon Ball, and the plan between Wes, Nayru and Selene hatched, the trio headed out into the soaking rain, where Nayru was draped over Wes' shoulder as he carried her, Selene following just behind him. The ten or so grunts standing at the front of the mansion looked confused as they walked up, before they saw what Wes was carrying. "Whoa, is that the dude's gardevior!"

"We took care of him for now!" Selene told them, looking serious. "But he could be back at any moment. We need to go deliver his gardevior to the boss before he gets here!"

"Alright, go!" one of the grunts said. "I think I see someone coming!"

"Huh?" Wes asked, and was about to turn to see who could possibly be coming, but Selene had already grabbed his hand and began leading him up the stairs and onto the second floor. There were only two grunts upstairs, and both of them were looking down as screaming was suddenly heard in the distance.

"GUZMA!"

"T-that's Jason's voice!" Wes realized, causing Nayru to perk up a bit.

"Not the time!" Selene hissed, shaking her head. "Look, you go face Guzma! Get that Bulbasaur back! I need to play my part still!"

"A-are you sure?" Wes looked at her with a worried expression on his face, almost feeling sorry for the girl. "If you fight my teacher, he'll clobber you!"

"Either way, gotta play my part, right?" Selene replied, winking before she rushed back down the stairs. Sighing, and watching the other two grunts that were upstairs run down there as well, Wes put Nayru down and the two ran off towards where Guzma's bedroom was waiting. Once outside of it, Wes quickly ducked into a side room and decided to change quickly back into his regular outfit, before stepping inside the room and coming face to face with Guzma himself, who was sitting on a large chair at the back wall, a grunt standing off to the side with Bulby at his feet, who seemed too scared to move. Guzma's green bed was off to the side, but only Nayru noticed it and how messy it looked.

"Well, you got here pretty quickly", Guzma said baffled. "Then who is downstairs fighting my grunts?" He paused for a moment, before hearing Jason shout again. "Jason… of course he would come here anyway. Well, my grunts should hold him off until I'm done beating you down!"

"Guzma, release Bulby!" Wes demanded, glaring at him. "That is all I want!"

"And all I want is revenge!" shot the leader of Team Skull. "The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up… Yeah, big bad Guzma is getting his revenge! When I have a malfunctioning machine, I give it a good hard smack… so let's see if I can't fix you! Go, Golisopod!" From the ball emerged the water and bug type, and Wes instantly knew his plan of action.

"Go, Sakura!" Wes called, sending Sakura out from her Lure Ball.

"First Impression!" Guzma called.

"Toxic!" Wes ordered. Golisopd charged forward and slammed into Sakura, and like before it did a ton of damage, however this time Sakura reacted by sending out a orb of poison, which hit Golisopd and slowly began to leach his health away.

"Now use Scald!" Wes commanded. Sakura sent out a jet of boiling water, which slammed into Golisopd. Despite the move being not that effective, the damage from the poison and water attack activated Emergency Exit, and Golisopod was recalled into his Nest Ball.

"Go, Pinser!" Guzma called, sending out a bug type that caused Wes to gasp; a bipedal, insectoid Pokémon with a wide, dull brown body divided into segments by thin lines. On top of its head was a large pair of gray, spiky pincers on top of its head. In its mouth were many long, flat teeth arranged horizontally and it has triangular eyes.

"That's… different", Wes commented, unsure of what to make of his opponent, pulling out his PokeDex and analyzing the creature. "Pinser, the Stag Beetle Pokemon. Pinsir has a pair of massive horns. Protruding from the surface of these horns are thorns. These thorns are driven deeply into the foe's body when the pincer closes, making it tough for the foe to escape."

"Allow him to demonstrate", Guzma taunted, smirking. "Pinser, X-Scissor!" The stag beetle Pokemon charged forward and gripped onto Sakura with his pincers, causing her to begin struggling in pain, thrashing her tail wildly until she was still.

"Sakura, return!" Wes called, absorbing her back into the Lure Ball.

"One down", Guzma smirked. "And I still have all three of my Pokemon! What now, kid?"

 _Hate to admit it, but Guzma is better than he was last time._ Wes thought to himself, pulling out his Permier Ball. _But then again, so am I!_ "Go, Inigo! Use Flame Charge!" Inigo erupted from the ball, and was instantly surrounded by fire, slamming into Pinser and sending it flying into the wall. The beetle got up, hissing in pain.

"Use Storm Throw!" Guzma commanded. Pinser charged forward, once again gripping onto his opponent with his horns, before throwing Inigo to the floor, who hissed in pain upon his landing.

"Inigo, Peck!" Wes commanded, causing the fowl Pokemon to obey instantly, striking Pinser with his beak once, who fell over unable to battle. Guzma recalled Pinser, and Wes, realizing that Inigo was injured and should rest for a bit, recalled him as well.

"Not bad, kid", Guzma declared, smirking. "Now we each have two Pokemon, one being injured… but unlike last time, your disadvantage is going to be your downfall. You shouldn't have used Inigo against me! Go, Masquerain!"

"We won't know until we get there!" Wes declared, taking out his Moon Ball. "Blake, go!"

Guzma blinked at that before chuckling a bit. "Alright then, Dark types are weak to Bug moves, but if you wanna lose that badly… Masquerain, use Bug Buzz!" Masquerain flapped his wings rapidly and let out a red wave of sound, which slammed into Blake, causing him to shut his eyes in pain. Guzma smirked, expecting an easy knock out, but didn't count on how defensive Blake was, as he gasped in shock when Blake opened his eyes.

"Blake, use Foul Play!" Wes shouted. Blake surrounded himself with a dark glow again, rushing forward and slamming into Masquerain. Despite the bug type not having high attack power, his defenses were also somewhat weak, and he began to sway in the air as he attempted to regain himself.

"Use Bug Buzz again!" Guzma commanded. The move once again hit, and while it seemed like it weakened Blake a bit more, the move was still in vain, as on Wes' order, Blake took out Masquerain with another Foul Play, bringing Guzma down to his last Pokemon.

"Alright, kid", Guzma snarled, pulling out Golisopod. "Time to end this! Go, Golisopod! Use First Impression!" Golisopod popped out and instantly attacked, and unlike Bug Buzz the sheer power of the bug type move caused Blake to get sent flying back, fainting the second he hit the floor.

"Blake, return!" Wes commanded, recalling the Moonlight Pokemon into the Moon Ball. "Thanks, Blake! You did exactly what I wanted you to, and now Inigo can bring this home! Go, Inigo!" The fowl Pokemon emerged again, clicking his beak eagerly. Golisopod, remembering the first time they fought, looked angrily at Inigo, and seemed ready to strike.

"Use Razor Shell!" Guzma commanded.

"Use Flame Charge!" Wes shouted. The two Pokemon charged, and a collision of fire and water caused a small explosion, which knocked Golisopod and Inigo both back, though while Golisopod landed on his feet, Inigo stumbled and fell to the floor.

"Quickly, use Sucker Punch!" Guzma commanded. Golisopod charged forward and sent his fist flying at Inigo's face, who caught it and struggled to hold it back, but suddenly just as it seemed like Golisopod's attack would get through, Inigo began to glow and quickly sent Golisopod flying back with a toss. Inigo stood up, and began to grow in height, and when the transformation ended, Wes could see a shiny Blaziken standing there.

Wes gasped, pulling out his PokeDex again. "Blaziken, the Blaze Pokemon. In battle, Blaziken blows out intense flames from its wrists and attacks foes courageously. The stronger the foe, the more intensely this Pokémon's wrists burn."

"It doesn't matter that he evolved!" Guzma shouted, pointing at Inigo angrily. "You're still going to lose, kid! Golisopod, Razor Shell!"

Golisopod charged forward and slashed at the newly evolved blaziken with a water filled hand again, but this time Inigo raised his arms instantly, activating Protect and shielding himself from the damage of the attack. His foot suddenly began to burn with fire, and he aimed at Golisopod with a kick that sent him flying back, the bug type to snarl in pain.

"That was Blaze Kick!" Wes gasped, before realizing that he might need more power to take down Golisopod this time, as the Hard Shell Pokemon rose to his feet, eager to continue the battle. Wes took out the Firium Z he received from Kiawe, and slapped it onto his Z-Ring, facing Guzma and grinning. "I told you last time, Guzma! Don't insult those who dream of becoming champions, or those of us who are taking the Island Trial Challenge… Inigo, Inferno Overdrive!"

Inigo let out a shout, as he was suddenly surrounded by fire, and charged forward and slammed into Golisopod. The resulting damage caused not only Golisopod to faint, but parts of the room to get scorched by black soot. Guzma stood there baffled, looking down at Golisopod, fainted before him, before he looked up at Wes and Inigo facing him, and Nayru who was standing off to the side.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, causing Nayru to jump as Jason stepped in. "Guzma!" he shouted, before realizing what had happened, and looking between the fainted Golisopod on the floor, to the evolved Inigo, he realized that he was too late, a snarl appearing on his face.

"Guzma, what is wrong with you?!" Guzma shouted, holding his head with his hands and failing around a bit. With a growl, he recalled his Golisopod and turned to the grunt standing next to Chloe's Bulbasaur. "Yo! Give the Pokemon back to the kid, now!" Hearing this, the grunt stepped aside, and Bulby ran forward towards Wes, who bent down and happily petted the grass type. The grunt quickly fled the room, realizing that Guzma was not happy, as the boss of Team Skull glared at Wes. "I'm going to beat you down one of these days! No matter whose help I need to do it!"

"NO!" Jason roared, stepping forward. "You are fighting me next; do you understand me?"

"Guzma does what he wants!" he shouted at Jason, before stomping out of the room angrily, growling the entire way.

"Er… Jason…" Wes sheepishly greeted him. "W-we got Bulby back!"

" _You_ got Bulby back", Jason snarled, before he gave a sigh. "And I _really_ hate to admit it, but… you handled yourself very well… _however_ -"

"Next time let you handle Team Skull and Guzma, I got it", Wes mumbled, shaking his head.

"Good", Jason snapped, turning and noticing a ton of Bugium Z next to Guzma's throne chair. Smirking a little, he nabbed three of them, tossing two of them to Wes. "Here. Now let's go return Bulby to Chloe… I'm getting a bad feeling all of the sudden."

Before Wes could ask Jason what he was talking about, he suddenly felt something was wrong to. Teacher and student looked at one another nodded, and after recalling Inigo into his ball the two of them raced off back to Aether House.

* * *

 **Before anyone asks, yes; this Selene is the exact same one that is the main protagonist for Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. She was a somewhat last minute addition that I thought would make this story a bit more whole, and don't worry she will appear in future chapters, however she isn't directly a "main character" per say, more like a supporting cast member.**

 **So like I said in the first authors note, usually I thank my reviewers for their reviews on the last chapter, however this time there is an issue I need to address... Using your review to call out or directly attack another one of my reviewers WILL NOT be tolerated. I do not care for the reason, your reviews are for commenting on my story, not your beef with another member of this site. Should another review pop up on my story again directly attacking or calling out another member, I will block that member and your review will be reported to FanFiction Admins. No questions asked. Keep your issues with another member either to yourself, or DM them directly, using my story to flame or attack another is considered spam, and that CAN and WILL be reported as such.**

 **Those that left proper reviews on Chapters 1-22, you have my thanks.**


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